Dispelling e-myths and pre-empting disappointment: Exploring incongruities between instructors’ intentions and reality in asynchronous online discussions.

Provided that effective practices in online instructional design are met and e-myths regarding online learning are contested, asynchronous online sharing, knowledge construction, and knowledge creation or hybrids of these discourses. Within a naturalistic higher education setting, the authors revisited lingual data analysed in a previous study, employing Booth and Hultén’s (2003) taxonomy of pivotal contributions to online discussions to describe students’‘talk’ during text-based AODs. The taxonomy constituted a more comprehensive model of productive online discussion than that used in the earlier study. Contrary to the authors’ initial assumptions as novice e-instructors that students would not only share knowledge, but also co-construct knowledge, there was little evidence of the latter. In terms of Booth and Hultén’s (2003) analytic framework, functional moves were predominantly factual, while reflective contributions were uncommon. In other words, knowledge-sharing discourse rather than knowledge-construction discourse was the norm. In addition, participatory contributions were rare. The findings indicated that there was a mismatch between the authors’ expectations about students’ levels of cognitive engagement during their discussions and the instructional design. Thus, the authors interrogate their assumptions and identify design considerations that should underpin online pedagogy as it pertains to meaningful online discussion

Investigating design features of a computer-mediated communication system

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is increasingly used in higher education, but it is not without problems. The effectiveness of CMC depends on many factors, including the characteristics of CMC systems themselves. The research reported here therefore aimed to investigate how an educational CMC system might be improved, in order to support learning more effectively. The main context for the research was distance learning at the UK Open University (OU). A two-stage, mixed methods research approach was adopted. In the first stage, interviews and observations were carried out to explore the benefits and problems experienced by users. This revealed two major issues: information overload and lack of social presence. Information overload relates to users’ problems dealing with large numbers of messages. Social presence relates to the need for users to feel connected with each other. The second stage investigated system features aimed at addressing these issues, implemented in a prototype computer conferencing system. Features to address overload included branched message threading and user recommendations. Features to address social presence were ‘résumés’ and instant messaging. These features were evaluated using questionnaires, with several cohorts of students in an OU course. Students expressed approval of the features, although some features were not widely used. Students preferred branched threading to chronological threading because branching helped them to follow ‘conversations’. Students were uncomfortable recommending messages, feeling that the value of a message would vary between people. They were also uncomfortable using instant messaging to contact others whom they did not know. However, the awareness aspect of instant messaging provided a sense of solidarity. The research demonstrated that the problems of overload and lack of social presence are significant, and each has social aspects which must be addressed. Students’ relationships with each other affect whether and how they use the features of CMC systems. We can conclude that particular attention must be paid to the social aspects of online communication, both when designing educational CMC systems and when considering how they are used. To maximise the benefits for learning, students need to feel comfortable with each other online, and there are few short cuts to achieving this

Rethinking analysis of progressive discourse in asynchronous online learning: An Activity Theory perspective

This paper describes an innovative approach to analyze the progression of dialogue in asynchronous online forums. Although schemes analyzing the content of individual messages exist, they fail to capture the subtle relationships between messages that constitute progressive discourse for knowledge building. We present a group-level discourse analysis based on cultural-historical activity theory that characterizes the unfolding collaborative learning and knowledge construction processes in context. The application of the mixed-method approach is illustrated in the context of two online graduate courses. The analysis highlights connected sequences of discursive actions that multiple students make to advance shared understanding. The mechanics of the approach offered in this paper can be used as an analytic and transformative tool for enhancing online learning, research, and instruction

Students\u27 knowledge construction and attitudes toward synchronous videoconferencing in an online collaborative problem-based learning environment

The purpose of this study was to investigate students\u27 cognitive learning process during problem-based discussions in an online synchronous collaborative learning environment via videoconferencing. In addition, students\u27 attitudes toward the online synchronous collaborative small-group discussions with videoconferencing as well as recommendations on how to improve their online synchronous collaborative small-group discussions with videoconferencing were investigated. The participants were 28 graduate students who took a graduate-level online Mathematical Modeling course at a western university. They were assigned into eight groups of three (or four) students to work on nine collaborative projects throughout the semester. They were instructed to utilize the Elluminate Live!® for the synchronous small-group discussions each week. A triangulation mixed methods design was used to analyze and interpret four data sources including (1) twelve synchronous small-group discussion transcriptions; (2) three teamwork attitude surveys; (3) a learning environment attitude survey; and (4) seven individual interviews. The main findings of this study revealed that students performed more messages at Phase I than at Phase IV or Phase V based on the Gunawardena, Lowe, and Anderson\u27s Interaction Analysis Model (1997) in the online synchronous collaborative small-group discussions with videoconferencing integrated. The results of the findings might be due to students\u27 sharing preferences, preparedness of the group members, and the nature of the Mathematical Modeling course. Nevertheless, videoconferencing can be a potential tool to help facilitate participants to perform more messages at Phase V than synchronous chat. Additionally, students had positive attitudes toward the online synchronous collaborative learning environment and their most favorable experiences included the sense of community, learning facilitation, and significance of the synchronous small-group discussions via videoconferencing sessions. Conversely, technology problems and unprepared group members were students\u27 unfavorable experiences when participating in the synchronous small-group discussions via videoconferencing. Furthermore, recommendations such as technical assistance, group rotation, clear course expectations, greater preparation time, and increased learner-instructor interaction were provided to improve students\u27 online synchronous collaborative small-group discussions with videoconferencing. Finally, implications for educational practices and recommendations for future studies were discussed

Facilitating critical enquiry about race and racism in a digital environment: Design considerations

Increasingly, instructors working in higher education settings are exploiting asynchronous online forums to facilitate difficult dialogues on social issues such as sexuality, race, and diversity. We interrogate the task design we employed to construct a digital space in which undergraduate English Studies students could discuss race and racism in the context of a study of contemporary understandings and manifestations of race. Within the realm of computer-mediated discourse analysis, we employed Booth and Hultén’s (2003)taxonomy of key contributions to meaningful online discussion to determine if students’ posts displayed not only knowledge-sharing discourse, but also knowledge-construction and knowledge-creation discourses. We discovered that although students co-constructed knowledge and, in some instances, created new artefacts, they mainly shared and compared ideas. We therefore consider how our task design should be altered to foster critical enquiry. Although not our main focus, we also take into account phenomena our data analysis revealed that cannot be overlooked when it comes to online discussions of contentious issues. These phenomena include emotional responses to racism and micro-aggressions. We adopt the view that these elements are an unavoidable part of a difficult dialogue, and that facilitators need to prepare their students to converse in uncomfortable spaces. Keywords: asynchronous online forums, difficult dialogues, task design, knowledge sharing, knowledge construction, knowledge creatio

Academic literacies and attitudes of EFL students in a CMC environment

There is a growing volume of research showing that academic literacy is discipline specific. To become proficient in a specific discipline and be a part of a discourse community, learners have to learn ways of communication acquired through understanding and practising the necessary genres associated with that discipline. Both synchronous and asynchronous Computer-mediated communication (CMC) provides opportunities for learners to be a part of that discourse community and learn particular ways of discourse in a collaborative environment. This research investigated how a group of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in a Saudi Arabian university was introduced to academic writing by completing CMC tasks collaboratively. Learners' interactions were examined via a descriptive design to explain how students negotiate academic literacy using synchronous chat and asynchronous discussion boards. Data were gathered from 6 sources: observations, survey questionnaires, texts of participants' online discussion entries, online peer feedback, students' assignments, and interviews. Data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively to investigate how these EFL undergraduate students negotiate their academic literacy in a CMC environment in terms of language functions and focus; how CMC influences both the process and the product of student's academic writing activities; and what EFL students' attitudes were towards CMC in the process of acquiring academic literacy. Data analysis revealed the various discourse functions EFL learners used in their online discussions. Results indicated that computer-mediated communication facilitated students' understanding of tasks and performance of writing activities and promoted collaboration. Analysis of the students' draft and revised essays in the online peer review activities showed that students integrated peers' feedback into their revisions and benefited from such activities although they were not satisfied with the quality and quantity of feedback. A comparison of the students' participation in the face-to-face classrooms with their participation in both synchronous and asynchronous CMC activities afforded through Blackboard® learning management system (LMS) revealed more active interaction during CMC activities in terms of its content and quality. Finally, the EFL students perceived that CMC facilitated their acquisition of academic literacy in academic writing and promoted collaboration despite some limitations

Do You See What I Mean? Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis.

This chapter explores a sociolinguistic approach to computer-mediated communication (CMC), by examining how higher education teachers use digital media to manage interpersonal interaction in their online courses, form impressions, shape and maintain relationships with their students. Previous studies have often focused on the differences between online and offline interactions, though contemporary research is moving towards the view that CMC should be studied as an embedded linguistic form in everyday life. The study of language in these contexts is typically based on text-based forms of CMC, (often referred to as computer-mediated discourse analysis). Within this, focus in the chapter is on the devising and implementation of pragmatic linguistics of online interactions; at a high level this refers to meaning-making, shared belief systems and intercultural differences; at a specific level this includes issues such as turn-taking and the sequential analysis and organisation of virtual ‘interlocution’

Individual novices and collective experts: Collective scaffolding in wiki-based small group writing

This article reports on a case study that explored the process of wiki-based collaborative writing in a small group of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students at a Chinese university. The study examined the archived logs from the group wiki ‘Discussion’ and ‘History’ modules with a focus on the group members\u27 scaffolded interaction when co-constructing texts in the wiki space. The analysis revealed that the participants were actively engaged in reciprocal communication in terms of content discussion, social talk, task management, technical communication and language negotiation. They were also found to have scaffolded each other\u27s writing efforts during co-constructing the product via multiple writing change functions, including addition, deletion, rephrasing, reordering and correction. This study explicated a distinct case of ‘collective scaffolding’ (Donato, 1994) in collaborative writing activities, where group members were simultaneously individual novices and collective experts as they pooled their knowledge and mutually guided each other through problem solving as to writing tasks. This study has important implications for instruction and future research on computer-mediated collaborative writing

The influence of the discussion leader procedure on the quality of arguments in online discussions

Online discussions can lead to an enriched understanding of course content. This study explored the influence of a discussion leader procedure with specific instructions on the quality of online argumentation and interactivity. Sound analysis of both sides of an issue and movement towards a final resolution has not been evaluated within online discussions current research. Subjects were 44 undergraduate students who participated in online discussions on a technology issue over two weeks. Participants also completed a need for cognition scale developed by Cacioppo, Petty, and Kao (1984). Results indicated that students participating in groups receiving specific argumentation instructions from the leader produced better online argumentation for the second week and exhibited increased interactivity patterns for both weeks