Asynchronous Discussion Board Facilitation And Rubric Use In A Blended Learning Environment

abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of instructor response prompts and rubrics on students' performance in an asynchronous discussion-board assignment, their learning achievement on an objective-type posttest, and their reported satisfaction levels. Researchers who have studied asynchronous computer-mediated student discussion transcripts have found evidence of mostly mid-level critical thinking skills, with fewer examples limited to lower or higher order thinking skill demonstration. Some researchers suggest that instructors may facilitate increased demonstration of higher-order critical thinking skills within asynchronous discussion-board activities. However, there is little empirical evidence available to compare the use of different external supports to facilitate students' critical thinking skills performance and learning achievement in blended learning environments. Results of the present study indicate that response prompts and rubrics can affect students' discussion performance, learning, and satisfaction ratings. The results, however, are complex, perhaps mirroring the complexity of instructor-led online learning environments. Regarding discussion board performance, presenting students with a rubric tended to yield higher scores on most aspects that is, on overall performance, as well as depth and breadth of performance, though these differences were not significant. In contrast, instructor prompts tended to yield lower scores on aspects of discussion board performance. On breadth, in fact, this main effect difference was significant. Interactions also indicated significant differences on several aspects of discussion board performance, in most cases indicating that the combination of rubric and prompt was detrimental to scores. The learning performance on the quiz showed, again, the effectiveness of rubrics, with students who received the rubric earning significantly higher scores, and with no main effects or interactions for instructor prompts. Regarding student satisfaction, again, the picture is complicated. Results indicated that, in some instances, the integration of prompts resulted in lower satisfaction ratings, particularly in the areas of students' perceptions of the amount of work required, learning in the partially online format, and student-to-student interaction. Based on these results, design considerations to support rubric use and explicit feedback in asynchronous discussions to support student learning are proposed.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Educational Technology 201

Teaching presence: a focus on the instructor\u27s role in online collaborative learning

The use of e-learning has been extended beyond simply providing access to information to providing the ability to learn collaboratively via an interactive learning environment. The ability to create an online collaborative and interactive environment is a challenge. This study strove to examine the most effective design and facilitative strategies for fostering student learning and participation in hopes to make design and implementation of online discussions easier and more efficient for teachers. The primary goal of this study was to understand how the degree of instructor presence influenced students’ perception of learning and how students engaged in deeper levels of learning in an online collaborative learning environment. More specifically, the study explored the relationship between design and facilitative strategies in online discussions and student participation, student learning, and students’ perceptions of their online learning experience. An embedded, multiple-case study design was used. Three completely online classes taught by the same instructor were chosen for this study (n = 55). During the Fall 2007 semester, data were collected from observations, discussion transcripts, teacher interviews, student surveys and student grades. Quantitative data included student responses on a perception survey, final course grades, and the frequency of discussion posts. Qualitative data included on-going observations, on-going teacher interviews, open-ended questions on a student perception survey, and discussion transcripts. Results showed that the teacher’s role in online discussions is influential to student participation and learning. More specifically, certain strategies such as participation requirements and question design were related to an increase in participation and learning. Factors such as addressing students by name, providing immediate feedback, providing on-going communication, and providing individual attention may have also contributed to student learning. The findings of this research are consistent with that of previous studies. Consequently, they add merit to the importance of teacher presence in online learning, particularly in the areas of course structure and question design. Implications for practice are discussed

Student experiences of facilitated asynchronous online discussion boards: Lessons learned and implications for teaching practice

As an alliance of academics undertaking blended delivery, we have experienced the challenge of tailoring teaching strategies to different learning styles. Our teaching has evolved, moving from traditional didactic delivery to the utilisation of online technology to accommodate both academic and student expectations. The pressure to teach within constrained resources and issues presented from the COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities to optimise educational technology. We identified a gap in genuinely engaged online discussions, observing that pedagogic value was often obscure. This cross-sectional study investigated the opinions and experiences of undergraduate students in four health science online units where asynchronous discussion boards were linked to summative assessment. By assessing discussion posts, students may be motivated to participate further, with student engagement influenced through educator involvement, the discussion purpose and group interactivity. Whilst some students were critical of the value of asynchronous discussion boards, others positively viewed discussions as a platform for peer engagement and information sharing. Discussion boards can provide active learning experiences particularly for online students; however, effective educator involvement and online supportive teaching strategies and practices are crucial to pedagogical success. Based on the key findings from this study we propose implications for practice in a higher education context

A Case Study of Community of Inquiry Presences and Cognitive Load in Asynchronous Online STEM Courses

The design and facilitation of asynchronous online courses can have notable impacts on students related to persistence, performance, and perspectives. This case study presents current conditions for cognitive load and Community of Inquiry (CoI) presences in an asynchronous online introductory undergraduate STEM course. Researchers present the novel use of Python script to clean and organize data and a simplification of the instructional efficiency calculation for use of anonymous data. Key relationships between cognitive load and CoI presences are found through validated use of NASA-TLX instrument and transcript analysis of discussion posts. The data show that student presences are not consistent throughout a course but are consistent across sections. Instructor presences are not consistent throughout a course or across sections. The study also explored predominant factors within each presence, confirming previous reports of low cognitive presence in discussions. The highest extraneous cognitive load was reported for understanding expectations and preparing an initial post. These results provide support for improvements to course design and instructor professional development to promote Community of Inquiry and reduce extraneous cognitive load

A Case Study of Community of Inquiry Presences and Cognitive Load in Asynchronous Online STEM Courses

The design and facilitation of asynchronous online courses can have notable impacts on students related to persistence, performance, and perspectives. This case study presents current conditions for cognitive load and Community of Inquiry (CoI) presences in an asynchronous online introductory undergraduate STEM course. Researchers present the novel use of Python script to clean and organize data and a simplification of the instructional efficiency calculation for use of anonymous data. Key relationships between cognitive load and CoI presences are found through validated use of NASA-TLX instrument and transcript analysis of discussion posts. The data show that student presences are not consistent throughout a course but are consistent across sections. Instructor presences are not consistent throughout a course or across sections. The study also explored predominant factors within each presence, confirming previous reports of low cognitive presence in discussions. The highest extraneous cognitive load was reported for understanding expectations and preparing an initial post. These results provide support for improvements to course design and instructor professional development to promote Community of Inquiry and reduce extraneous cognitive load

Preparing Students to Think in the 21\u3csup\u3est\u3c/sup\u3e Century: The Impact Of Asynchronous Online Discussions on Critical Thinking Skills in A High School English Class

The purpose of this action research was to evaluate how the implementation of asynchronous online discussions into the classroom impacts the critical thinking skills of secondary language arts students. Although critical thinking has shown to be an important 21st century skill (Paul & Elder, 2002), many students are leaving high school lacking the thinking skills necessary to succeed in a modern society (Arum & Roksa, 2011; Conley, 2015). Standardized testing results within the population of this study indicated similar critical thinking deficits as the rest of the nation. This study focused on two central research questions: (1) To what extent will the integration of asynchronous online discussions into the English curriculum impact the critical thinking skills of language arts students? (2) How do language arts students perceive the use of asynchronous online discussions to impact their critical thinking skills? In this convergent parallel mixed methods study, students enrolled in my English 1 Honors course (n = 46) engaged in asynchronous discussion which was centered on a structured weekly debate. Debate groups received increasingly complex prompts each week and participated in required periods of reading, reflecting, writing, and responding. The Cornell Critical Thinking Test was used as a pre- and post-test to measure the impact of the intervention on student critical thinking skills. In addition, student discussion posts were analyzed at the beginning, middle, and end of the intervention with the Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric to examine how critical thinking skills evolved throughout the course of the study. Students completed a Likert style questionnaire, and a subset of students participated in focus group interviews about their perceptions of how asynchronous discussion impacted their ability to critically think. Transcripts of the focus group interviews were coded looking for patterns and similar ideas in order to generate general themes about the data. Results from all four measures indicated that asynchronous discussions positively impacted student critical thinking skills. Likewise, students had positive perceptions of asynchronous discussions and its impact on their critical thinking ability. Implications on developing secondary school students’ critical thinking are discussed

Facilitation Fundamentals: Redesigning an Online Course using Adult Learning Principles and Trifecta of Student Engagement Framework

Purpose The purpose was to describe the redesigning of an online course that utilized adult learning principles and a framework to engage students. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used is a first person account from the instructor point of view. Findings Findings indicate that the teaching strategies used encouraged student engagement in the course. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to one course with less than 20 students. Practical implications Other online instructors can utilize teaching strategies used that promote engagement among students. Social implications This course is an example of a highly engaging online course. This shows that online courses can be engaging and satisfying for students. Originality/value This paper adds to the body of literature on what teaching strategies encourage students to engage online. It connects theories with real life examples that others teaching online can implement

Survey Says—How to Engage Law Students in the Online Learning Environment

The pandemic experience has made it clear that not everyone loves teaching or learning remotely. Many professors and students alike are eager to return to the classroom. However, our experiences over the last year and a half have also demonstrated the potentials and possibilities of learning online and have caused many professors to recalibrate their approaches to digital learning. While the tools for online learning were available well before March of 2020, many instructors are only now beginning to capitalize on their potential. The author of this article worked in online legal education before the pandemic, utilizing these tools and exploring ways to make the online experience more effective. This article is the result of her research on online legal education prior to the pandemic, which sheds light on future possibilities for online learning in law schools in post-pandemic times. The discussion explores various engagement strategies used by online legal educators, assesses students’ perceptions of those strategies, and examines these findings against the backdrop of existing learning theories. The article contributes to the scholarly literature on legal education and pedagogy by tying empirical evidence of student learning preferences to educational theory and identifying concrete strategies for increasing law student engagement and enjoyment

EFEKTIFITAS HOTS DAN PROBLEM BASED LEARNING PADA PEMBELAJARAN TEMATIK SEKOLAH DASAR DI ERA PANDEMI COVID 19

Pembelajaran tematik merupakan pembelajaran yang dilakukan berdasarkan sebuah tema yang dipakai untuk memadukan beberapa topik pembelajran. Hal ini bertujuan agar proses pembelajaran yang dilakukan oleh siswa dapat berjalan dengan mudah karena hal tersebut dimulai dari pembahasan 1 (satu) tema untuk beberapa topik pembelajaran yang diajarkan. Metode penelitian ini memakai jenis penelitian studi kasus yang didalamnya berisi identifikasi efektifitas pembelajaran tematik pada masa pandemi covid 19. Hasil dari penelitian ini mengatakan bahwa pelaksanaan pembelajaran tematik telah dilakukan dengan benar sesuai sintaks dan ketentuan pembelajaran tematik. Pembelajaran tematik yang diberikan pada siswa sudah didesain untuk merangsang dan mengasah kemampuan befikir tingkat tinggi (HOTS) siswa Kata Kunci: HOTS; Problem based Learning; Pembelajaran Temati