Asynchronous Discussion Forums Research Articles

Strategies and Challenges in Encouraging Students' Critical Thinking Skills in Online Learning: A Literature Review

This article presents a comprehensive literature review on the methodologies and obstacles faced in fostering critical thinking skills among students within the realm of online learning. As digital education platforms become increasingly prevalent, educators and curriculum designers are tasked with the challenge of adapting traditional, interactive critical thinking exercises to virtual environments. This review synthesizes findings from various studies, including empirical research, theoretical analyses, and case studies, to identify effective strategies for promoting critical thinking in online courses. Key strategies highlighted include the use of asynchronous discussion forums to facilitate reflective thinking, the integration of problem-based learning tasks, and the implementation of peer review mechanisms to enhance analytical skills. The review also discusses the challenges encountered in online settings, such as the lack of immediate feedback, reduced social cues, and the potential for cognitive overload due to multitasking. It emphasizes the importance of thoughtful course design, the need for instructor training in online pedagogical methods, and the role of technology in supporting interactive and engaging learning experiences. Finally, the article calls for further research into innovative educational technologies and pedagogies that can better support critical thinking development in online learning environments.

Humanising Online Pedagogy through Asynchronous Discussion Forums

Humanising pedagogy has been a focus of recent research as more universities move to online and blended models of instruction. Online learning has been linked to feelings of isolation, disconnection, and depersonalisation of the learning experience for many students. In South Africa, the shift to online instruction took place in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent student movements that brought attention to how the country’s violent history resulted in structural inequalities in terms of race and class that affect learning environments. Thus, humanising pedagogy also meant recognising and addressing how students’ contextual challenges might affect their feelings of connection in the learning environment. In this article, we present a case study of a first-year course at a South African university where we used online discussion forums that required students to engage with weekly forum tasks. Through thematic content analysis of students’ dialogic responses on these forum tasks, we demonstrate how the tasks facilitated humanising pedagogy by allowing students to use their authentic voices, to form social connections, and to reflect their affective and personal experiences. We argue that interactive, asynchronous online forums can be effective tools to facilitate humanising online pedagogy when these forums are designed in ways that encourage dialogic learning, use content that is relevant to students’ contexts, and give students agency by allowing them to select texts for discussion and share their diverse perspectives. Our analysis also showed limitations to forum discussions which include students echoing responses and instances of silencing and unsupportive group dynamics.

Designing effective discussion forum in MOOCs: insights from learner perspectives

IntroductionThe study focuses on addressing the gap between the perspectives of learners and the designers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), with a particular emphasis on asynchronous discussion forums within these courses. The primary objective of this study is to bridge the gap in understanding between MOOC designers and learners regarding the organization and usability of discussion forums.MethodsIt aims to achieve this objective through a navigation experiment that investigates three main factors: (1) Classification of Discussion Forum Posts: This involves how discussion forum posts are categorized or organized. (2) Design of Different Discussion Forum Patterns: The study explores the effectiveness of various discussion forum design patterns. (3) Evaluation of Learners’ Perspective: It assesses the learners’ experiences and viewpoints regarding the discussion forums. The study identifies a gap in prior research, where the learner’s perspective has often been neglected when examining discussion forum organization and usability in MOOCs.ResultsThe results of the study indicate that the redesigned discussion forum was successful in reducing the time required by learners to navigate and explore the discussion forum. This suggests that improvements in interactive user interfaces, design elements, usability, and time efficiency can enhance the design of asynchronous discussion forums in MOOCs. The study offers recommendations and insights that MOOC designers can implement to create more effective and engaging discussion forums. These recommendations are based on the identified features and design elements that are crucial for learner satisfaction and interaction efficiency. Implementing the study’s findings by considering learner perspectives, MOOC designers can enhance the overall quality of the learning process. This includes making the learning environment more engaging for both learners and instructors.DiscussionThe study contributes to the field of online education by emphasizing the importance of learner perspectives and offering practical guidance on optimizing the design, usability, and time efficiency of discussion forums in MOOCs. In summary, this study seeks to improve the design of asynchronous discussion forums in MOOCs by focusing on the learners’ perspective, usability, and efficiency. It not only identifies key factors but also provides recommendations for MOOC designers to enhance the learning experience and engagement within these online courses.

Incorporating Intersectionality of Gender and Race Into an Assignment: Students Interviewing Their Grandparents

ABSTRACT Via an asynchronous online discussion forum, 186 college students narrated a life history, as one of their grandparents, making “I” statements. The aim of this mixed method study was to further examine the intersectionality of race and gender revealed in these narratives. Thematic analyses were conducted to identify themes related to lived experiences of the grandparents, and how experiences were interpreted by students in their narratives. Differential vulnerability was reported based on gender and race. More women than men, and more persons of color than white narrators, reported greater life challenges and hardships in all major themes that emerged from the narratives. The intersectionality of race and gender and double jeopardy hypothesis were supported by the study findings.

Cultivating Critical Thinking, Social Justice Awareness and Empathy Among Pre-service Teachers Through Online Discussions on Global Citizenship Education

There is a paucity of research on the efficacy of online asynchronous discussion forums in fostering critical thinking, social justice awareness and empathy in pre-service teachers. This study adopted a case study design rooted in the social constructivist/interpretive paradigm. South African university pre-service teachers comprised the study’s sample. To examine how online discussions about Global Citizenship Education (GCE) affected the critical thinking and social justice awareness of a group of pre-service teachers ( n = 31), a questionnaire based on Andreotti’s (2006) Soft vs Critical GCE framework was used. To further understand how their involvement in online discussions on global issues influenced their sense of social justice awareness, empathy and critical thinking, certain pre-service teachers’ ( n = 9) reflective essays were used. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers’ responses were more consistent with the soft GCE approach. The Soft vs Critical GCE framework was useful for identifying which aspects of online interactions require a more critical understanding of GCE. The findings showed that pre-service teachers who participated in the online GCE conversations had increased social justice awareness, critical thinking skills and empathy.

Five Priorities to Help Learners in the Online Classroom

To maximize online student learning, instructors should prioritize their time towards instructional strategies that students deem most impactful, such as providing individualized, one-to-one feedback; adopting a holistic feedback approach; engaging in asynchronous discussion forums; curating relevant content resources; and presenting instructional content in efficient, versatile formats. As research reveals, learners value instructor feedback and engagement in online discussions above all else, thereby guiding where educators should focus their limited instructional time.

Developing One Health capacity and networks through virtual training

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Virtual Learning Centers (VLCs) deliver online tutored courses with the aim of developing field capacity to integrate wildlife and ecosystem elements to approach One Health challenges. These courses also aim to create networks of professionals under the One Health umbrella. These courses cater to professionals from a variety of organizations and with a wide range of expertise, including animal health, public health, wildlife and natural resource management. The courses combine self-directed interactive modules with virtual workshops focusing on problem-based learning case studies (PBLs). Additionally, participants are encouraged to participate in an online asynchronous discussion forum. Each course is delivered for multiple countries within a FAO region and is tailored to cover specific One Health topic areas. Once the topic area is defined, subject matter experts and the regional VLC build the training activities by developing course-specific PBLs and selecting up to five self-directed modules that introduce concepts related to those PBLs from the course catalog of training materials. The development of the training materials and the delivery of each course involves a multidisciplinary team of professionals from different countries and backgrounds. The course was piloted for the Pacific Islands in 2021 and then run for other regions such as Southern Africa and Eastern Africa. In the future, this training activity could also be delivered in a blended format, combining virtual learning with face-to-face workshops.

EFL Students’ Perspectives on Activities Designed for Asynchronous Discussion Forums: Transformative Practices

The current study aimed to examine the perspectives of EFL students regarding the types of pedagogical activities they found engaging while using asynchronous discussion forums (ADF), as well as the practices of educators in encouraging the participation of their students. An interview with ten university students who were enrolled in an English language methodology course was used to construct data. The results of the study revealed that university students preferred open-ended activities to knowledge-based tasks such as quizzes or direct tasks. They found open-ended activities to be more challenging and engaging. The results also unveiled that the participants of the study expressed appreciation for tutors who provided clear instructions for tasks uploaded on the online discussion forum. They also valued the tutors who motivated them and offered constructive feedback. These factors were crucial in enhancing students’ engagement and participation in ADF. Based on these results, the study recommends empowering tutors with the skills and knowledge necessary to design engaging assignments that align with students’ expectations and provide them with direct and constructive feedback that would enhance ensuing research.

Asynchronous Online Discussion Forums: Effective Undergraduate and Graduate Course Approaches

Asynchronous Online Discussion Forums: Effective Undergraduate and Graduate Course Approaches

Lights, Camera, Accessibility! Applications in Video Design

The focus of this lesson is the authentic application of accessibility for a video through an asynchronous discussion forum. Set in an online, graduate, education multimedia design course, students design an instructional video over multiple weeks, applying course content to their video, demonstrating their application, and receiving formative feedback through discussion forums. This article details one discussion forum, occurring over one asynchronous week, used as a formative assessment to support students in applying accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1 and Section 508) and best practices for accessible multimedia design.

Promoting College Student's Systems Thinking

This study examined how college students in a medical school in China engaged in learning in asynchronous online learning environments during the COVID-19 health crisis. A quasi-experimental design approach was employed to compare if a class of students had better learning outcomes and developed systems thinking when asynchronous discussion forums incorporated an inquiry-based pedagogical approach in one unit, whereas the other unit followed a traditional instructor-led approach. In sum, 25 junior students participated in this study. Quantitative results show that the students had statistically significant higher assessment scores and improved systems thinking when the unit incorporated the inquiry-based pedagogical approach. Qualitative findings also demonstrated how students engaged in learning and how the instructor scaffolded students' inquiries and learning. Practical implications for instructors' teaching online courses are also discussed.

FORO DE DEBATE ASINCRÓNICO APOYADO POR PROFESORADO EN LA ENSEÑANZA DE MÉTODOS CUANTITATIVOS A ESTUDIANTES DE NEGOCIOS

While asynchronous discussion forums have been widely implemented across different learning environments, there have been mixed findings in terms of their impact on student performance. This study aims to investigate the impact of an asynchronous lecturer-supported discussion forum used to augment traditional Face-to-Face course delivery, on student performance in a Quantitative Methods course taught to business students in the Caribbean. An asynchronous support discussion forum was set up for a group project designed for students to apply quantitative techniques to solve real-world problems. The quantity and quality of student participation and lecturer participation in the discussion forum, represented by student questions and lecturer questions, were investigated to determine their impact on student performance, measured by group project marks for 109 student groups over three academic years. The results showed that neither student participation nor lecturer participation in the asynchronous support discussion forum led to significantly better student performance by way of group project mark. Possible reasons for this finding that is inconsistent with the literature include issues such as voluntary student participation in the forum, multiple other avenues to obtain lecturer support, and the use of questions to represent participation. The study’s conceptual framework points to the importance of specifying the learning environment, learning objective, discussion forum type and engagement type in examining the impact of a discussion forum.

Participation style and social anxiety as predictors of active participation in asynchronous discussion forums and academic achievement.

Learners in asynchronous discussion forums are inundated with diverse options when it comes to interaction. This enables the embodiment of various styles of participation. On the other hand, the affective domain tends to be overlooked in the online discussion context. The modeling of discussion activities based on both cognitive and affective indicators constitutes this study's unique aspect. In the study, the impact of social anxiety and participation styles on active participation in discussions were investigated using three-factor social anxiety and four-factor participation style models. In addition, the impact of active participation on academic achievement was also examined. Path analysis was used to explain the predictive correlation among these indicators. Students' participation behaviors in discussions during a three-week implementation were analyzed within the scope of a course taught during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The findings showed that social anxiety and participation styles had a significant impact on active participation, which, in turn, significantly affected academic achievement. The study provides crucial inputs in portraying the characteristics of learners in such a way as to tailor online discussions to their needs.

Optimising care and the patient experience for people living with dementia: The perceptions of radiography practitioners

IntroductionDespite abundant literature on the diagnosis of dementia, limited research has explored the lived experiences by radiography practitioners when delivering care to people living with dementia (PLWD). This study explored the perceptions and compatibility of current professional guidance by both radiography practitioners and key stakeholders involved in developing the Society and College of Radiographers clinical practice guideline document for caring for people with dementia. MethodsThis was a two-stage qualitative multi-method study. Fifteen diagnostic and two therapeutic radiography practitioners from across the UK participated with three asynchronous online discussion forums. One core member and three members from the key stakeholder group participated with individual semi-structured interviews. Data analysis included narrative and thematic analysis. ResultsParticipants from both stages identified enablers and barriers to providing person-centred care (PCC) to PLWD. Three superordinate themes were identified linked to (1) Challenges in delivering person-centred care to people living with dementia, (2) The need for role specific education and training, and (3) Partnership working with carers. Challenges in delivering care included time and resource pressures. The lack of dementia specific education compounded these difficulties. Care partners were seen as an asset to providing care. ConclusionProviding PCC to meet the individual needs of PLWD can be challenging in practice. This is often due to time and resource implications. There were also issues with the identification of PLWD prior to their attendance in the department. Carers could help to alleviate some challenges. There is a need for profession specific education and dementia awareness training to support the provision of PCC to PLWD. Implications for practiceDementia training needs to be specifically tailored for radiography practitioners to bridge the gap between guidelines and clinical practice rather than being generalised from other disciplines.

Promoting college students' systems thinking in asynchronous discussions: Encouraging students initiating questions.

Systems thinking is one of the most important thinking skills for medical students. Most of the studies focused on designing technological-rich learning environments which usually take several weeks or months to implement. However, the occurring of COVID-19 health crisis does not allow extensive period of time to implement classroom interventions. How to support students' systems thinking in fully online environments remains an issue. This study examines if encouraging students initiating questions on asynchronous discussion forum supports their systems thinking development. Twenty-two junior students participated in this study. We compared if and how students developed systems thinking when they were encouraged asking questions in asynchronous discussion forums in one unit with another unit in which traditional method was used. Multiple analytical methods were applied in this study, including, social network analysis, epistemic network analysis, inferential statistical analysis and qualitative analysis. Quantitative results showed that all students improved systems thinking compared with traditional teaching unit among which leader students improved most. Further analysis on students' discussion posts suggested leader students asked high systems thinking level questions and provided high level responses. Epistemic network analysis unpacked how leader, regular and peripheral students engaged in initiating questions and providing responses differently. This study provides methodological and practical contributions. Methodologically, this study extends prior methods of applying network analysis beyond its original preservice teacher training contexts; practically, this study provides strategies to practitioners to support students' asynchronous forum discussions.

Analyzing Online Learners’ Knowledge Construction in Asynchronous Discussion Forums Using Interaction Analysis Model

For the past decades, interest in research studies focusing on how interaction and learning take place, and how computer-mediated asynchronous tools such as Asynchronous Discussion Forum (ADF) opens opportunities for online learners to collaborate and construct knowledge, has elevated among online learning advocates and practitioners. Related literature on knowledge construction in discussion forums is now seen as an essential part of the teaching and learning process in an online learning environment. As we move from traditional to virtual classrooms, the need to look into models and approaches to analyze knowledge construction in discussion forums, especially in the Philippine setting where it is relatively very scarce or not investigated at all, is inevitable to have a deeper understanding of student participation in an online learning setting. By employing a content analysis using the Interaction Analysis Model (IAM), this study uncovered what level of the social construction of knowledge was reached in the discussion forums of the online graduate colloquium. In addition, this study also looks at the factors that might be attributed to the patterns of how knowledge is constructed in the discussion forums in an online learning environment. This study emphasizes the potential of providing more opportunities for online learners to create knowledge by empowering students through the creation of a learning environment that encourages interactions and collaborations among themselves. The results of this study will hopefully contribute to the studies on methodologies and approaches to explore online interactions focusing on knowledge construction in discussion forums in an online learning environment.
 Keywords: knowledge construction, asynchronous discussion forum (ADF), online learning, Interaction Analysis Model (IAM)

Lived Experiences of Teachers Implementing Online Learning: Springboard to Quality Basic Education

Public schools have turned to online education as a supplementary pedagogical technique to augment classroom instruction considering the country's widespread closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Consequently, learners must adapt to the move from face-to-face learning to fully online learning, where synchronous video conferencing, social media, and asynchronous discussion forums become their principal avenues for knowledge building. This phenomenological inquiry determined the lived experiences of public-school teachers involved in the implementation of online learning during the COVID-19 health crisis. It involved 25 public school teachers in the Schools Division Office of Ilocos Sur who were chosen using purposive sampling. The study employed an interview guide and scrutinized it using Colaizzi’s perspectives. The narrations generated four major themes: lack of knowledge towards online education, hope amidst resources constraints, challenges, and coping strategies. Teaching online classes during a crisis, was difficult for teachers because of the stress of dealing with the COVID-19 and the associated uncertainty and dread. Teachers, despite a variety of difficulties and crises, implemented coping strategies that reduces their stress and burnout. The study recommends a comprehensive capacity building towards enhancing the teacher’s competency towards online learning. Interventions to prevent teacher stress should be adapted to support their mental health and well-being.

Through the Lens of Students: How Online Discussion Forums Affect Students’ Learning

The current exploratory study investigated the perspectives of 13 students about the use of online discussion forums in a virtual English Language course at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. A mixed methods approach utilizing self-report questionnaires, focus group interviews, and researcher observation was used to collect data. The study results showed that the majority of the participants viewed asynchronous discussion forums positively. Most importantly, the study revealed that participation in these forums enhanced various aspects of students’ learning including critical reading, critical thinking and critical reflection skills, behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement, as well as their social skills. On the other hand, the study results showed that online discussion forums were associated with several challenges. These findings have pedagogical implications on the design and implementation of these forums in the EFL field. The article calls for further research on online discussion forums in relation to students’ level of study, academic achievement, and exam pass rates in various EFL courses.

Development of A Framework for an Asynchronous Discussion Forum through an E-Learning Platform

Throughout the last several decades, the digital era has expanded the process of information sharing in classroom instruction in novel and surprising ways with reference to a wide variety of complex challenges. As a result, effective interactive e-learning management is critical for removing barriers to "knowledge acquisition, exchange, and construction" in this global learning community. According to a review of the pertinent literature, digital and social learning platforms, such as learning management systems (LMS), are effective guides for accomplishing comprehensive online learning. Using a quantitative approach, this paper illustrates the authors’ efforts to develop a social constructivist framework to facilitate formative assessment of an asynchronous discussion forum on various socio-scientific issues (SSI) among teenagers during the initial phase of the project. A learning management system (LMS) was utilised to collect data on project-based activities that encourage inquiry-based and problem-based learning (PBL) following the "Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation" (ADDIE) model. Different methods of evaluation were implemented to determine the effectiveness of this approach in facilitating the discussions as well as to observe how students' participation in an asynchronous discussion forum improves their overall level of knowledge construction, interaction, and social network analysis (SNA). The important benefits of sharing information are looked at, and future research, innovative projects, and recommendations are shown and predicted.

Using discussion forums to support continuing education of workplace learning supervisors: enabling a community of practice


 
 
 Workplace learning (WPL) supervisors play a significant and fundamental role in enhancing university students’ experiences during their placements. Supervision is a multi-faceted and complex interpersonal and professional activity, which requires continued education to ensure contemporary knowledge, practice and capacity. Increasingly universities are viewing the offering of continued education for industry supervisors as an aspect of their mandate. This research reports on the design, facilitation and evaluation of an online learning module, supported by an asynchronous discussion forum aimed at building capacity of WPL supervisors, and developing cross-disciplinary WPL relationships.
 Using a mixed method approach, data were gathered using crude statistical measures including frequency counts of discussion postings, layered with thematic analysis of supervisors’ postings to weekly learning activity stimuli. The results of the research illustrate the powerful opportunities for continued education offered by participation in a purposely designed and supported discussion forum. Participants felt empowered, supported by their online colleagues and enlightened by their enhanced awareness of others’ practices and perspectives. Participants’ capacity to further disseminate their embellished understandings of WPL supervision bought to the fore the far-reaching possibilities of discussion forum use in building professional communities of practice and professional capacity.