Use Of Discussion Boards Research Articles

Use of Discussion Boards in an Online Hip Fracture Resource Center for Caregivers

Hip fracture is a serious health problem among older adults and often results in serious consequences such as disabilities. Informal caregivers (CGs) are particularly important for the successful recovery of older adult patients with hip fractures while they undergo surgical procedures and extensive rehabilitation therapies. In a previous study, we developed a comprehensive theory-based online hip fracture resource center for CGs and conducted a feasibility study. The 8-week online hip fracture resource center, including learning modules, moderated-discussion boards (DB), Ask-the-Experts, and virtual libraries, was used by CGs. This study reports findings from a qualitative analysis of DB postings. The data were analyzed using content analysis in conjunction with an inductive coding approach. The analyses yielded 6 themes and 3 categories related to hip fracture care (e.g., specific types of care provided by CGs). Findings suggest that DB forums can serve as a medium for CGs to share their experiences and to obtain support. Furthermore, DB forums can assist healthcare providers in identifying further opportunities to assist CGs. The study is limited to a small sample size in one hospital. Further studies are needed with larger samples in diverse settings.

Use of Discussion Boards in an Online Hip Fracture Resource Center for Caregivers

Use of Discussion Boards in an Online Hip Fracture Resource Center for Caregivers

Outcomes of Chat and Discussion Board Use in Online Learning: A Research Synthesis

Outcomes of Chat and Discussion Board Use in Online Learning: A Research Synthesis

A scaffolded approach to Discussion Board use for formative assessment of academic writing skills

Mastery of academic writing skills remains one of the greatest challenges for university students, especially in the first year. Amongst the reasons offered for the challenges are lack of clarity about the university’s expectations and low levels of teacher feedback on work submitted, a failure to engage, and low levels of contact with teaching staff and other students. Academic staff are challenged by increased class numbers and increased student diversity in classes and university policies to adopt a wide range of information technologies into teaching modes. In this paper, we offer one attempt at addressing these three important contemporary academic challenges: use of information technology to provide timely feedback through formative assessment to help students with a range of abilities to acquire the academic writing skills necessary to succeed in higher education. Early indications show that students find this form of formative assessment very useful. They value the timely and focused feedback from the lecturer and are developing collegiality as they learn from each others’ writing and feedback. We believe that this strategy is sustainable and can be adapted to facilitate academic and social integration for students across many disciplines.

Exploring Factors of a Web-Based Seminar That Influence Hispanic Preservice Teachers’ Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills

The purpose of the qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was to gain insight of preservice teachers’ experiences with a WebCT seminar designed to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a Hispanic-Serving Institution’s teacher education program. By applying a “holistic approach” to analyze data, NVivo software was used to assist the process. Findings indicate the use of discussion board and a reading strategy were influential in developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, respectively.

Use of Discussion Boards in a Theory-Based Health Web Site for Older Adults

Hip fracture, a significant public health problem among older adults, can be prevented using multimodal approaches (e.g., bone-strengthening measures, fall prevention). Many older adults, however, are unaware of this information. With the rapid growth of older adult online users who have a specific interest in health, the Web can serve as a valuable medium to disseminate this information. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of the social cognitive theory-based structured hip fracture prevention Web site (TSW) on health behaviors through analysis of discussion board postings and to assess participants' experiences with the discussion board. In an online, randomized controlled study, the effects of a social cognitive TSW, including learning modules and a moderated discussion board, were tested on older adults' health behavior-related outcomes.This was an exploratory qualitative study. The TSW group participants used the learning modules and the discussion board for 2 weeks. Their experiences with the discussion board were explored using an open-ended question. Discussion board postings and qualitative answers were analyzed using content analysis. Ninety older adults actively participated in the discussion board. Analysis of 316 postings revealed eight themes. Participants shared their current health behaviors and discussed specific health problems and concerns. Many recognized opportunities for improvement and identified motivators to improve health behaviors. They also offered supportive comments to others and shared helpful and practical information. More than half of the participants (n = 65, 74.4%) reported that the discussion board enhanced their learning experiences. The themes developed from the postings showed that moderated discussion boards can be used effectively to change older adults' health behavior. Further research is needed to explore the long-term impact of using this component in online health behavior change interventions.

Supporting socialisation in the transition to university: A potential use for on-line discussion boards

Background Promoting socialisation for students entering Higher Education is desirable on two grounds. In the first instance it facilitates the processes of student collaboration which, according to sociocultural pedagogies, is important for effective learning. Secondly, it provides a supportive social network, enhancing the student experience which is thought to reduce the risk of attrition. These two drivers provided the rationale for our work. Method Using the Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment, two on-line discussion boards were used during the transition and induction period for the BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography programme at the University of Salford. The aim was to facilitate socialisation between students about to embark on the programme and current students and staff. The use of discussion boards was evaluated using a mixed methods approach. Statistical data regarding postings was analysed. Posts and focus group comments were subject to content analysis. Results The discussion boards were ‘hit’ 5718 times and there were 280 posts. A small number of students did not post any messages. There was evidence of the key features of on-line socialisation which were; establishing an identity; getting to know others; discovering and contributing to communication etiquette; and developing supporting and trusting relationships. Conclusion The discussion boards were deemed a successful method of providing socialisation during transition and induction. There were some limitations with discussion board layout and functionality and a blog, with its chronological layout and capability to display visual cues such as emoticons may be more effective. The limited participation by some students may provide a means by which to identify ‘at-risk’ students before the start of the course and this would be an interesting area for further study.

Creating interaction in online learning: a case study

This paper uses the case-study method to examine detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first-semester associate degree course in applied psychology at the City University of Hong Kong. The paper identifies ‘what works’ in relation to discussion board use, demonstrating how students might gradually create an online community of their own, but only if prompted in a timely and appropriate way by the course structure. It also identifies three distinct phases in online interaction and suggests these might, to some extent, be mediated by assessment tasks.DOI: 10.1080/09687760701673592

Creating interaction in online learning: a case study

This paper uses the case-study method to examine detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first-semester associate degree course in applied psychology at the City University of Hong Kong. The paper identifies ‘what works’ in relation to discussion board use, demonstrating how students might gradually create an online community of their own, but only if prompted in a timely and appropriate way by the course structure. It also identifies three distinct phases in online interaction and suggests these might, to some extent, be mediated by assessment tasks.DOI: 10.1080/09687760701673592

Comprehensive evaluation criteria for English learning websites using expert validity surveys

This study aimed to develop a set of evaluation criteria for English learning websites. These criteria can assist English teachers/web designers in designing effective websites for their English courses and can also guide English learners in screening for appropriate and reliable websites to use in increasing their English ability. To fulfill our objective, we employed a three-phase research procedure: (a) establishing a preliminary set of criteria from a thorough review of the literature, (b) evaluating and refining the preliminary criteria by conducting interviews with in-service teachers and learners, and (c) validating and finalizing the criteria according to expert validity surveys. The established criteria have 46 items, classified into 6 categories (the number of items within the category) – general information (12), integrated English learning (13), listening (4), speaking (6), reading (5), and writing (6). The general information evaluates the authority, accuracy, and format of the learning websites. The integrated English learning evaluates the overall information relevant to English learning materials as well as the common features of the four language skills. The criteria for listening, speaking, reading, and writing, for example, examine the suitable intonation, skills of discourse, classification of reading articles by their attributes, and the proper use of discussion boards for students when practicing their writing skills. Based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the interviews and expert validity surveys, we confirmed the effectiveness of the developed evaluation criteria with satisfactory indexes of inter-rater reliability, content validity, and factorial validity.

Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness

AbstractThe use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years, yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a comprehensive, theory‐driven metric to assess quality and effectiveness. Based on an extensive review of the research, the following variables were used to assess traditional discussion board use: thread, location of message within thread, author (student vs. educator), subject line clarity, time of posting, response time from previous message, number of times message was read, number of words, primary purpose, message quality, difficulty level of topic, knowledge level, processing level and use of external resources. These variables proved to be effective in assessing 12 key areas of discussion board use. It is argued that this kind of metric is essential if we wish to advance our understanding of online discussion boards for both educators and researchers.

Enriching Clinical Learning Experiences in Community Health Nursing Through the Use of Discussion Boards

The purpose of this article is to describe how a constructivist approach to learning, using an internet-based discussion board, can be used to support the reflection and dialogue of registered nurse students in a community health course in an accelerated RN-to-BS program. The constructivist structure of the course is described and insights from students shared, revealing learning in the areas of critical reflection, professional growth, and peer support. Suggestions for implementation of the educational strategy are provided.

Building a Predominantly Web-Based Course from Face-to-Face and Interactive Video Pilots: Administrative Skills for Social Work Practice

SUMMARY This paper describes the design, development, pilot, and revision of a predominantly web-based macro social work practice course on administrative skills required for all MSW students at Michigan State University, a Research I, land grant university. The course was intentionally developed in stages, first in a face-to-face (F2F) and interactive video (ITV) setting and then predominantly online after content revision and update. The course uses streamed videotaped lectures as a central teaching format, with extensive use of discussion boards and other interactive tools. The contributions made by the F2F and ITV iteration will be highlighted, along with lessons learned from multiple online replications.

Using the discussion board in the undergraduate biochemistry classroom: Some lessons learned*

AbstractThe discussion board feature that is included with most course management software packages is a potentially valuable tool to augment instructor‐student interactions in science lecture courses and increase student motivation. However, many teachers seem to have been frustrated that students do not readily make use of this feature when it is added to the course resources. The author has been using a discussion board in undergraduate biochemistry lecture courses for six years and has learned to use it to evolve a system that students use and that seems to increase interaction with students while requiring less time than traditional face‐to‐face meetings outside of the lecture. The aspects that the author emphasizes for efficient discussion board use are timing, creating a safe virtual environment for the students, “seeding” with simulated questions, setting boundaries, and being self‐conscious about the attitude that the instructor projects to the students.