Understanding interactions in face-to-face and remote undergraduate science laboratories

This paper reviews the ways in which interactions have been studied, and the findings of such studies, in science education in both face-to-face and remote laboratories. Guided by a systematic selection process, 27 directly relevant articles were analysed based on three categories: the instruments used for measuring interactions, the research findings on student interactions, and the theoretical frameworks used in the studies of student interactions. In face-to-face laboratories, instruments for measuring interactions and the characterisation of the nature of interactions were prominent. For remote laboratories, the analysis of direct interactions was found to be lacking. Instead, studies of remote laboratories were mainly concerned with their practical scope. In addition, it is found that only a limited number of theoretical frameworks have been developed and applied in the research design. Existent theories are summarised and possible theoretical frameworks that may be implemented in studies of interactions in undergraduate laboratories are proposed. Finally, future directions for research on the interrelationship between student interactions and laboratory learning are suggested

Effects of Role-Play for Problem-Solving Skills and Engagement in Online Forums

The body of research found that it is difficult to improve the quality of an online discussion experience because of the affordances and the limitations of asynchronous online communication technologies (An et al., Comput Educ 53: 749–760, 2009; Bachner, Cases on critical and qualitative perspectives in online higher education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2014; Dennen and Wieland, Dis Educ 28(3): 281–297, 2007; Rourke and Kanuka, J Dis Educ 23(1): 19–48, 2009; Thomas, J Comput Assist Learn 18: 351–366, 2002). To address this issue, this study investigated an instructional strategy to increase engagement using a collaborative role-play online discussion where students assumed different roles. This study aimed to assess the quality of interaction by means of the Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) for examining social construction of knowledge and of learning experiences of teachers during computer conferencing designed to learn problem-solving skills. Two major models guided the study: Problem Solving Approach Model (Branford and Stein, The IDEAL problem solver: A guide for improving thinking, learning, and creativity. New York, NY: Freeman, 1993) and Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) for Computer-Mediated Communication rooted in social constructivist theory (Gunawardena et al., J Educ Comput Res 17(4): 397–431, 1997). After analyzing the progress of the discussion transcripts, this study found that the role-play discussion constructed better knowledge socially and improved higher mental operation. The threaded discussion postings from four structured online debates showed that the algorithmic format of problem-solving steps promoted and were closely interrelated to five phases of IAM. The study also found that this problem-solving exercise through computer-mediated communication helped teachers be equipped with a frame of reference to the problems, which resulted in helping teachers to establish boundaries, name problems, form opinions, and uncover solutions (Entman, J Commun 43(4): 51–58, 1993; Goffman, Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. London: Harper and Row, 1974). This study will benefit online instructors as well as instructional designers who strive to find ways to make online discussion engaging