Analysis of Student Decision-Making in Online Collaboration

Journal of Asynchronous Learning, 2006

This paper is a first attempt to explore the dynamics of learning groups in the context of online discussion forums. Given the spread of online learning, especially using computer mediated communication, the importance of this kind of research cannot be overstated. Teaching online courses is unexplored territory for many instructors. Understanding how to use the powerful learning techniques involved in cooperative group learning in this context is imperative. The authors analyzed the content of twenty asynchronous discussion forums within an online course in family communication. Their findings indicated that such groups do social messages at a fairly high rate, that participation seems to be fairly evenly distributed among members, that instructor messages have no apparent effect on final products, and that competitive student messages have no apparent effect on the final product. However, they also found that two types of messages: orienting/giving information and showing solidarity were found more frequently in groups who reached higher quality final products. This research opens many questions about the most effective ways to structure this new learning situation. Creating effective online discussions 3 Creating effective online discussions: Instructor and student roles Computer mediated communication (CMC) has become commonplace in today's

As communications technologies have been increasingly applied to education in order to improve student learning experiences, newly-created instruments used to assess their effectiveness need to be developed. The study, undertaken within a non-formal education program in Thailand and an undergraduate study at the University of South Australia, aims to propose a suitable instrument that can be used to analyze student discourse in the online environment. Computerconferencing technologies have been applied to both groups. An instrument based on grounded theories has been developed and applied to data analysis. It was found that both groups of students varied in their approaches to learning at the individual level, while at the group level, there was little variance, with neither group demonstrating higher cognitive skill development. Student learning outcomes and collaborative learning have been discussed. Recommendations regarding the application of the instrument have been made.

Online Learning, 2019

Teaching online courses is unexplored territory for many instructors. Understanding how to use the powerful learning techniques involved in cooperative group learning in an online context is imperative. This paper is a first attempt to explore the dynamics of learning groups in the context of online discussion forums. Given the spread of online learning, the importance of this kind of research cannot be overstated. The authors analyzed the content of twenty asynchronous discussion forums within an online course in family communication. Their findings indicate that such groups send social messages at a fairly high rate; that participation seems to be fairly evenly distributed among members, although having a “leader” is helpful to the group’s process; and that instructor messages and competitive student messages have no apparent effect on the final product. However, they also found that two types of messages— orienting/giving information and showing solidarity—were found more frequen...

2017

Support for this publication has been provided by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training Office for Learning & Teaching (OLT) Seed Grant, 2016, SD15-5131, "Building capacity to scaffold online discussion: enhancing students' construction of knowledge and communication competencies" (

British Journal of Social Psychology, 1997

This study investigated the claim that keyboard-based computer-mediated group discussion suppresses normative influence relative to informational influence. In a simulated panel of inquiry presented with computer databases containing inconsistent and incompletely shared information, four-person groups attempted to reach decisions either in face-to-face (FF) discussions or in real time computer-mediated (CM) discussions via a network linking computers at separate locations. CM groups reported greater difficulty communicating ideas than FF groups and took longer to reach a decision. Contrary to previous research, CM groups exhibited a preference for a normative style of discussion, exchanging proportionally more positional and value statements and proportionally fewer factual and inferential statements than FF groups, but only in the final stage of the experiment. This discussion style led in turn to lower levels of private post-decision agreement and decision satisfaction among CM groups. Results are discussed in terms of the restrictions imposed by computer mediation on group discussion, and how these combine with other task conditions to determine group goals and discussion style.

2007

Abstract Use of learning management systems is prevalent across the continuum of education formats (online, blended, face-to-face). Specific asynchronous tools such as the discussion board are effective for student-instructor and student-student communication (Calderon, Ginsberg, & Ciabocchi, 2012; Jorczak and Dupuis, 2014; Lane, 2014). However, designing learning assignments that optimize the educational value of web-based tools requires a careful consideration of strategies to evaluate students’ learning outcomes. To date, there is a lack of systematic analysis that focuses on identifying learning evaluation dimensions that extend beyond the traditional strategies to evaluate written assignments or face-to-face communication. Previous work includes a-priori parameters or instrumental dimensions such as critical thinking (Lai, 2012) or length of communication (Brooks and Bippus, 2012). This study utilized a post-priori analysis of students’ responses to an online discussion board assignment in graduate course to identify organically emerging indicators of learning that occur when completing such assignments, thus capturing learning outcomes unique to an online group discussion assignment. Three dimensions of learning emerged: contextual (accuracy and sophistication of response content); interpersonal communication (quality of peer-to-peer interaction); meta-learning (reflections on the assignment and the learning process), that can serve as parameters for evaluating educational outcomes unique to the online environment. Key words: Online learning; outcome assessment; discussion board; post-priory analysis

networkedlearningconference.org.uk

Information & Management, 2008

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) has commonly been adopted in educational settings. However, few researchers have studied the effects of different CMC in such settings. This study examines how the use of synchronous chat, as a complement to asynchronous discussion board, affects student participation in online discussions. Two online classes of different sizes (n=8, 19) that participated in two asynchronous and two synchronous online discussions were examined. Both actual and perceived measures of participation indicated that the use of synchronous chat affected participation positively, which was especially evident in the smaller class. In the synchronous discussions, the students felt that they worked together, because they were confident that someone would respond to their ideas, and they did not feel restricted to discussing course content, which seem to be key factors in what is labeled personal participation.

Interactive Learning Environments, 2018

Use of learning management systems is prevalent across the continuum of education formats (online, blended, face-to-face). Specific asynchronous tools such as the discussion board are effective for student-instructor and student-student communication [