This quasi-experimental study examined the impact of structured instructor postings on the participation and performance of student discussion groups in a blended classroom. Undergraduate students enrolled in an instructional technology course were assigned to either a treatment (instructor postings; n=97) or control group (no instructor postings; n=98) for three distinct discussion topics spanning a six-week period. A crossover design was used to control for timing and instructor biases. Resulting student posts from all three discussions were compared between the groups with respect to quality and frequency. Quality of student discussion posts was determined based on an assessment scoring rubric, while frequency was measured in terms of the number of student posts. Results indicated that instructor posting did not impact the quality of student posts but did negatively correlate with student participation as measured by the frequency of their posts. These findings suggested that although students received equal quality scores in both situations, different posting strategies were utilized in the presence or absence of instructor posts. Further research is needed to explore specific strategies students employ when posting with and without instructor intervention, and to consider how this knowledge can be used by instructors to support students in online discussions.
Type of Material:
Open (Access) Journal-Article
Recommended Uses:
The article can be used as a resource for helping experienced and new online or blended instructors navigate their best level of participation in the discussion boards. It can be used in a class as assigned reading and as a discussion topic. The article would be useful in faculty development settings.
Technical Requirements:
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Identify Major Learning Goals:
• The study asked the following research question: “What effect will structured instructor postings have on the participation of students in an online threaded discussion, as measured by the frequency and quality of student posts?” (Murphy & Fortner, 2014, p. 341)
Target Student Population:
Online and Blended faculty; upper division undergraduate and graduate students in instructional technology and/or course design.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Students should have familiarity with how to read and evaluate a scholarly research article. Experience or interest in teaching online would be helpful as well.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
• The study examines the timely topic of using online discussion groups in higher education.
• The article is written in a clear, concise, and well-organized manner.
Important concepts in online discussions are employed and require advanced knowledge in the discipline of online learning to gain a thorough understanding of the material.
Concerns:
• Since this learning material is a journal article, its use is limited to courses that examine research in instructional technology and design or to faculty development in this area.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The article has a good literature review that describes the concepts and challenges related to them.
The authors do a good job at comparing their findings to those of prior studies that helps readers comprehend the significance of the findings. The paper could be integrated into a teacher course in online learning to help understand, evaluate, and navigate the fine line between too much instructor presence in the discussion forms versus too little presence.
Concerns:
Since this is a journal article, learning objectives and prerequisite knowledge needed for the student are not explicitly stated. However, one would not expect these to be a part of an article, either. Perhaps a companion guide discussing to how to use this journal article in a classroom setting would enhance its use as a teaching tool.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
• The article was easy to access via the web browser and instantly loaded via the Adobe Reader plug in.
• The article is neatly formatted and laid out in a visually appealing manner.
Concerns:
• Figure 1 contains words, but is in the form of a graphic. This may not be accessible to the visually impaired via a screen reader.
• The learning material is a journal article and is thus not interactive in nature, but one would not expect it to be, either.
Creative Commons:
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