Discussion Boards Research Articles

Using Social Learning Analytic Methods to Examine Social Construction of Knowledge in Online Discussions

ABSTRACT Analyzing how participants learn from each other during online forums on discussion boards or social media platforms is often challenging. One of the predominant methods of analyzing such learning is through qualitative content analysis or interaction analysis. The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM), developed by Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson which qualitatively examines five levels of social construction of knowledge in online discussions has gained traction among researchers as a viable model for assessing how participants learn from each other. However, analyzing large amounts of textual data using this model can be time consuming. Therefore, this study explores how a social learning analytic method based on text analysis can be used to quantitatively analyze the five levels of knowledge construction stipulated in the IAM. Automating the analysis process will enable researchers and instructors to develop a snapshot of the process of social construction of knowledge in online discussions, and thereby make improvements to discussions to enhance collaborative learning as it unfolds.

Student‐generated memes as a way to facilitate online discussion for adult learners

AbstractThis qualitative study examines how a student‐generated meme activity influences adult learners' interaction in online class discussions. A multiple‐case design is applied to understand how this class discussion activity facilitates online threaded interactions. This study recruited 28 adult learners from a two‐section graduate‐level asynchronous online class. Findings show that entertaining and easy to relate to meme activity generated by students engages adult learners in discussion activities for active learning. It helps learners quickly open up to each other to share and learn from each other. This discussion activity offers an alternative to releasing their emotions and feelings individually and collectively benefits adult learners when approaching new learning. It also shows the advantages of using a discussion activity connecting diverse adult learners and building a sense of community for social support while supporting each other for new learning. Findings indicate a significant role also played by the instructor in facilitating interactions. Our study provides insights into integrating internet tools (memes) with discussion activity for active learning in a fully asynchronous online discussion board.

Exploring the relationships between interaction measures and learning outcomes through social network analysis: the mediating role of social presence

This research aimed to explore (1) the characteristics and patterns of student interactions on online discussion boards throughout a course using social network analysis (SNA) and (2) the mediating effect of social presence, as the underlying mechanism, on the relationship between these interactions and students' learning outcomes. Eighty-four college students from four classes of a single course responded to an online survey asking about their perceptions of social presence, perceived learning achievement, and course satisfaction. Students’ discussion threads were analyzed using SNA. The results confirmed that social presence mediates relationships between interaction measures and learning outcomes. This research also found that SNA can be a useful tool to monitor the dynamic characteristics and patterns of online discussion interactions among students and support instructors to implement immediate and relevant instruction.

Death of the discussion board: Integration of online competency-based assessment in graduate nursing programs

Changes in the educational landscape and evolving parameters from academic accreditation partners require an evaluation of current pedagogical practices in graduate nursing education. Online educational platforms have grown in popularity, with 71 % of post-baccalaureate students reporting one or more online courses (NCES, 2022). Preparing nurses at the graduate level, proficient, and work-ready at an advanced level is a goal for graduate education. Accomplishing this goal requires increased faculty and student engagement levels in the online environment. In April 2021, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) approved new nursing education standards requiring nursing schools to adopt a competency-based framework. The requirements are the same for online and face-to-face course designs. Therefore, intentionally designed online courses with activities and assignments that meet the criteria for competency-based outcome criteria must be developed. Passive learning activities, including exams, reading assignments, formal/information papers, and even discussion boards, will require adjustments to meet the requirements of a competency-based outcome framework.

ONLINE DISCUSSION BOARDS: EXPECTATIONS AND OUTCOMES

ABSTRACT Online learning has gained momentum over the past few decades especially after the pandemic. Most schools these days are offering some online classes and many with complete degrees. This teaching modality is good fit for the students who have a busy schedule at work and have other responsibilities at home. However, to offer an effective online class poses a lot of challenges on the instructor’s part. One such challenge is to keep the students engaged and help them achieve learning outcomes set for the course. The main reason as to why student engagement can become an issue in an online class is because in such classes, the students and instructor do not meet in person. To help overcome this challenge there is a need for a platform where there is an instructor-student interaction as well as peer interaction. This paper discusses the effectiveness of one such pedagogical tool “Discussion Boards” which is used widely by the instructors in their online classes to keep the students engaged and help them achieve the learning objectives. Further the paper will also discuss the results of a survey given to the students regarding their experience participating in these online discussion boards. Keywords Online learning, discussion boards, student engagement

Technology, the flipped classroom, and exigent paradigm shifts or being forced into the present

Technology, the flipped classroom, and exigent paradigm shifts or being forced into the present

Assessing the Impact of a Personal Finance Elective Course on Student Attitudes and Intentions

Objective. To address the need for personal finance education in our school of pharmacy, a finance elective was developed to help students make well-informed choices related to student loan repayment, budgeting, and planning for retirement. Personal finance education could be beneficial to help students improve their future financial well-being.Methods. A mixed-methods research design was used to determine the impact of the course. Retrospective data were collected and analyzed. Data included pre- and post-assessments, assignments, posts from discussion boards, and a follow-up questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed through in vivo coding, and quantitative data were analyzed using dependent t tests.Results. Qualitative analysis revealed two themes: students came to feel that personal finance was something that could be managed proactively, and they felt empowered to create a financial plan that included strategies for budgeting, paying off student loans and other debt, saving, and investing. Quantitative analysis of five of the 10 assessment questions with matching counterparts in the pre- and post-assessment showed significant differences. Most students who responded to the follow-up questionnaire had completed activities or planned to complete activities related to making changes to their personal finance habits.Conclusion. Pharmacy students are entering the workforce with high incomes but saddled with debt. A personal finance elective course has the potential to equip students with the knowledge needed to be financially successful. Schools of pharmacy should work toward offering professional development to students to assist them in learning about personal finance due to the high cost of obtaining a pharmacy degree and likelihood of entering the workforce with debt.

A Systematic Review of Research on Online Learner Collaboration from 2012–21: Collaboration Technologies, Design, Facilitation, and Outcomes

Online Learner Collaboration (OLC) supports the development of knowledge and skills through social construction. In this systematic review of research spanning a decade, authors examined 63 articles for publication patterns, participant and context trends, and research methodology trends using an online learner collaboration framework consisting of the following elements: collaborative technologies, design, facilitation, and outcomes. The higher education context and education discipline had the most research conducted on OLC among the studies reviewed. All three research methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods) were used equally in the articles. The most commonly used technologies for OLC were learning management systems (LMS), discussion boards, writing tools, and synchronous tools. The most commonly used collaborative methods were group projects and discussions. The most common grouping size was small groups, and groups were commonly formed through random assignment, based on criteria, or student-formed. Instructors mostly assumed roles as designers, facilitators, supporters, and evaluators during OLC. Increased learning, communication and collaboration skills, and relationship building were the top three opportunities that OLC offered. Time, technical issues, and anxiety/fear/stress were challenges that appeared most frequently. Most of the research on OLC focused on cognitive and affective outcomes. The review has implications for online instructors and instructional designers who design and facilitate collaborative online courses.

Measuring usage versus preferences for online study materials among business-majored undergraduates

Abstract As online learning becomes a recurrent component of higher education, there have been growing interests in the interaction between students and educational resources within digital environments so as to understand and facilitate students’ initiative in managing those resources. The present study is an explorative inquiry into the relationships between students’ self-reported preferences of study materials, their actual usage of those materials and their learning performances in online learning. It focuses on analysing the learning management system’s log files, test results and students’ responses to an evaluative survey of a bachelor business course at a large Belgian university, which was a blended course turned fully online due to the pandemic circumstance. The first research question concerns how preferences relate to the usage of materials. A cluster analysis was conducted to classify students based on their perceived interest and actual access to learning resources. The results show three clusters of students with different preferences and levels of usage towards the four types of study materials provided in the course. However, the majority showed strong favour for multimedia online learning, with Web lectures being prioritised both in perception and access behaviour, while discussion boards receive mixed opinions and the lowest actual participation. The second question follows these up by linking the preference–usage patterns with academic performances. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to compare the learning performances of students with different preference–usage patterns. The results show no significant differences, which means the students’ preferences and/or usage of study materials has little to no impact on their learning performances in the online course.

Overcoming Barriers to Adjunct Engagement: A Community-First Approach to Professional Development

We present a model for professional development of instructional faculty. Though initially conceived for accreditation compliance as a credentialing process for adjunct faculty, this project led to increases in participants’ collaboration on lesson design, investment in curricular decisions, and adoption of active learning methods. In this paper, we identify five barriers that initially impeded these outcomes: Time, Isolation, Connection Between Content and Pedagogy, Change, and Risk-Taking. Through extensive coding of discussion board posts and participant interviews, we show that participants initially encountered these barriers but largely overcame them by the end of the project.

Building an Inclusive Pedagogy in Synchronous Online Learning Environments Focused on Social Justice Issues: A Case Study

In the spring of 2020, a global pandemic caused an immediate transition to online, synchronous learning platforms in much of the world. In discussion-based classrooms, where students construct learning from the material and their interactions with each other, the shift posed new challenges to educators and students. This mixed methods action research case study focused on the challenges and successes of teaching a university class about sensitive issues in the area of educational equity using a web-based platform. Over the course of two semesters, forty-eight pre-credential teacher education students were surveyed regarding their experiences taking part in equity-focused discussions over a synchronous Zoom platform. Semi-structured interviews with four instructors and five student volunteers were conducted to add depth to the survey data. A key finding is that Students of Color were significantly less comfortable discussing issues of race, gender, and equity with their cameras on than were White students. Additional findings pointed to race- and gender-based preferences in modes of engagement with the class material; the use of a multi-component pedagogy including anonymous discussion boards, chat posts, and group breakouts are suggested approaches for reaching all students when engaging an online class in discussions about race, gender, and sexuality.

Does Citizen Science Bring “Power to the People”? Evaluating a Remote Mapping Project to Identify Best Practices for Positive Impact on Volunteers

A core tenet of citizen science is mutual benefit to the professional researcher and the citizen scientist. While the impacts on the citizen scientist are often implicitly assumed to be positive, this is infrequently studied directly. Here, we evaluate the impacts of the Power to the People remote mapping citizen science project on volunteers to explore best practices for positive impact. We analyze beta feedback collected before project launch, discussion board posts made during the project, an end-of-project evaluation survey, and mapping data generated during the project. We found that this project attracted a diverse global community who were motivated to contribute to research with the potential to create real-world impact. 87% of respondents had a “good” or “excellent” experience with the project, and 66% learned something by participating. Best-practices identified through this evaluation are to: (1) account for the intersectionality of contributor demographics; (2) emphasize project interdisciplinarity and real-world impact potential; (3) provide learning opportunities at multiple levels of depth; (4) remember that the most vocal contributors do not represent the entire community; and (5) evaluate data quality regularly to identify silent issues.

Cryptocurrency trading, mental health and addiction: a qualitative analysis of reddit discussions

Background: The volatility and 24/7 nature of the cryptocurrency market allows traders to engage in highly speculative trading patterns that closely resemble gambling. Considering its potential for addiction and economic loss, it is important to investigate the impact that cryptocurrency trading has on mental health. Therefore, we analyzed Reddit discussions regarding mental health, gambling, and addiction from members of the discussion board, r/cryptocurrency, during a recent downturn in the market. Method: We collected 1315 threads submitted to the subreddit r/cryptocurrency from January 3rd to February 4th 2022. A thematic analysis was employed, which included threads that discussed psychological wellbeing, mental health or gambling. Results: We thematically analyzed the content threads that discussed psychological wellbeing, mental health or gambling. Our analysis identified three main themes present in user discussion. Theme 1 (emotional state and mental health) captured users’ discussion on their wellbeing, mental health and emotional responses to the market downturn. Theme 2 (strategies for coping) examined coping strategies recommended by users to combat distress or trading urges. Theme 3 (likeness to gambling) captured a discussion on the relationship between cryptocurrency and gambling based on its fixating properties and risk profile. Conclusions: Reddit is a valuable resource for examining the experiences and attitudes of the cryptocurrency community. Discussion from users provided insight into the mental distress market downturns cause and strategies to help combat these. Our findings offer qualitative insights into the problems experienced by individuals who cryptocurrency trade and encourage further investigation into its relationship with mental health and addiction.

Promoting Equitable PST Participation in Mathematical Discourse: Rough Drafts on an Asynchronous Discussion Board

Issues of equity in mathematics classrooms existed prior to COVID-19. For many students, however, meaningful participation in mathematical discussions became nearly impossible in online settings during the pandemic. In this study, we note the diversity in and nature of participation in mathematical discourse in an online course for preservice teachers (PSTs). We investigate the influence of implementing two support strategies for discussion: (a) establishing a “rough-draft/revision” orientation to mathematical tasks; and (b) providing time and structure (tasks and prompts) in an online discussion board for PSTs to post their initial thoughts, react to peers’ solutions, and collectively revise their ideas. In this article, we highlight several benefits of these support strategies to equitable PST participation in a unit on number theory. For example, as compared with oral discussions where only a few PSTs offered their ideas, the written discussion format encouraged every PST to post their ideas. Using a rough-draft/revision stance in the prompts fostered sharing and revealed diverse mathematical approaches, perspectives, and ideas. We argue that giving students opportunities to interact with one another and the mathematics in a variety of ways promotes equitable participation.

“We’re all human/existential fish:” Fans Making Sense of Adore Leaving RuPaul’s Drag Race

ABSTRACT Our essay explores sensemaking in a subreddit called “r/rupaulsdragrace.” Specifically, we analyzed how fans made sense through online discussions after a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 2 (a reality television competition with drag queens) left the show early. Findings revealed that fans made sense of the events through enacting past frameworks, selecting specific messages to explain Adore (a contestant) leaving, and retaining messages over time. The implications of our findings show ways that fans make sense in online discussion boards and how both online platforms and celebrities can reduce the stigma around mental health.

Students’ and Academics' Perception of Flexible Learning Tools in the South Asian Business Schools: A Case Study from Pakistan

Due to globalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed an increase in acceptability and substantial growth in the use of flexible learning and teaching pedagogy. According to the figures released by UNESCO, some 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able to attend school or university. With an astounding 1.53 billion students out of education and 184 country-wide school closures, it's impacted 87.6% of the world’s total registered students. This study seeks to provide insight into the most effective flexible pedagogical tool, especially in the context of South Asia Business Schools. Indeed, the use of resourceful pedagogical tools is vital in developing key 21st-century employability skills among business students. In order to ensure that organizations have the right skills to support and sustain their hard-earned success, and people have a relevant set of skills they need to be both employable and individually fulfilled. Since the global economy has made largely extinct the idea of a ‘job for life’. The new norm is employability for life. Given these facts, a single case study was selected for this study; an online university that provides flexible learning to students in Pakistan and overseas via satellite TV, moderate discussion boards, recorded lectures, and one-to-one with the tutors, was used as the case. The study critically reviewed students (the end users) and academics (the service providers') perspectives on the issue of pedagogical tools. Both data strands agreed that case studies, class debates, lectures, lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations, group projects, reading, homework, multiple-choice questions, essays, and term papers are effective flexible learning tools for the development of 21st-century skills or in gaining employability for life values.

A process for converting an in-person training to increase church capacity to implement physical activity and healthy eating practices and policies to an online format.

The implementation of evidence-based public health programs into practice is critical for improving health, but trainings for organizational change agents are often not scalable. To describe the process of converting a training that targets faith-based organizational capacity development from an in-person to an online format. We engaged in an iterative process to convert the training delivery mode from in-person to online that included assessing stakeholder support, consulting the literature on best practices, seeking a design team, consolidating content, designing engaging lessons, and building an online site. Feedback from end-users and other audiences was incorporated throughout. Pilot participants with characteristics like intended training users were then recruited via community and faith-based partner networks. They rated their agreement with statements about the effectiveness as well as design and functionality of each lesson and the overall training (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) and participated in a structured follow-up interview. Nine pilot participants (representing 9 churches in 7 states; 6 African American, 5 with health ministries) rated the online lessons favorably (all ratings ≥ 4.5). Most (90.4%) perceived the lesson duration to be "just right" and spent 52.5 ± 9.9 minutes/lesson. Participants evaluated the overall training positively (all ratings ≥ 4.7). Lesson content, resources, multimedia, and program ideas were most-liked aspects of lessons, while content, staff responsiveness, discussion board, and pace were most-liked aspects of the overall training in open-ended and interview responses. This paper shares a replicable process for converting training modalities from in-person to online with the goal of increased scalability.

Stakeholder perspectives on the use of VoiceThread as a multimodal alternative to conventional discussion board in distance education

This pilot study explores and documents online students’ and their lecturer’s debut experiences of utilising VoiceThread (VT), a digital multimodal platform, as an alternative discussion space via Open Universities Australia (OUA). Feedback from the lecturer’s teaching log and interview was corroborated with his OUA students’ survey responses, and analysed in relation to student online learning experiences with VT and Discussion Board, as well as technological and affective aspects of both platforms. Findings indicate that VT has a stronger potential in boosting stakeholders’ online engagement and enjoyment of distance learning, thus fostering online community building. Specifically, VT creates not only a multimodal and dynamic platform in lieu of Discussion Board, but a supportive online learning environment that promotes more inclusive and ongoing interactions. Despite the positive results, VT was viewed by some students as technologically demanding, causing them to only read peer posts without responding. It is suggested that orientation training sessions and trial threads be made available to ease the students into VT. Aspects of tutorial group size and instructor support should also be considered for future online course delivery.

Patient Preferences for Mobile Health Applications to Support Recovery.

Smartphone apps to support individuals in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs) are increasingly available. Although many people with SUDs express interest in recovery support apps, few try them or use them long-term. Strategies like gamification and contingency management are increasingly being considered to sustain engagement. This study sought to describe features of a recovery support app called the Addiction version of the Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (A-CHESS) that are most used by individuals in SUD recovery and what makes individuals more likely to use these apps. A total of 202 people with A-CHESS accounts completed an online survey assessing their experiences using A-CHESS between April and June 2021. We described app features reported to be most beneficial for managing anxiety, loneliness, and isolation during COVID-19; reasons for not using A-CHESS; and suggested app features for future recovery support apps. Respondents had a mean age of 41 years, 85% were White, and 61% were female. Respondents reported that app features related to messaging (ie, open discussion boards and private messaging) and informational or motivational resources were the most useful for managing isolation, anxiety, and loneliness. Reasons for not using A-CHESS were not knowing how to use the app and the app not being part of a personalized treatment plan. The most common suggested components for future apps were rewards for meeting goals and a support meeting locator. Ensuring that health apps are intuitive and include features that appeal to patients and educating patients about features apps already include that help them meet goals may enhance engagement with recovery apps.

Pandemic experimentalism: decentering studio art education in an ongoing global emergency

After eighteen months of online art education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors consider Form and Time, a required first-year studio art course at OCAD University in Toronto, as a case study within global practices of reconfiguration and experimentalism in art and design pedagogy during the crisis. Form and Time was scheduled to launch as a required first-year course on campus at OCADU in Fall 2020, but quarantine prompted the pivot to fully remote. Critiques of the traditional art school’s situated format were launched before COVID-19 by anti-ableist, Indigenous and feminist scholars, addressing access barriers and stressing resilience in the face of crisis and oppression. The pandemic disrupted the centrality of in-person studios and critique methods in post-secondary art education; this accelerated and took unexpected turns during the online pedagogical experiments of the early pandemic. In this context, Form and Time foreshadows new modes of art school studio delivery, decentering and critically intersecting with studio precedents suddenly disrupted by remote learning during COVID-19. Form and Time’s weekly asynchronous video lectures and online meetings probed themes of Space, Form and Time. Students posted weekly studio experiments on discussion boards, using materials close at hand. As with other art and design courses, everyday objects and materials provided a platform for discussing material conditions and encounters during the pandemic. Students depicted their unique surroundings using strategies of observation and walking. They accessed faculty-made online micro-workshops recorded by the various course instructors on home studio material techniques. These comprise a growing online archive shared by faculty teaching the multi-section course. Looking forward, we anticipate further crises. Greater interplay between online, blended and hands-on art studio education will prioritize flexibility that can better adapt to life pressures and emergencies, opening access for a diverse range of learners in decentered locations.