Analyzing how participants learn from each other during online forums on discussion boards or social media platforms is often challenging. One of the predominant methods of analyzing such learning is through qualitative content analysis or interaction analysis. The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM), developed by Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson which…

This dissertation investigates the role of multimedia applications in enhancing student engagement in higher education, with a particular focus on the dynamics of asynchronous discussion forums and lurking behaviors. Leveraging multimedia applications facilitates dynamic, inquiry-based discussions that promote deeper cognitive engagement and…

Online discussion boards are in frequent use these days in both face-to-face and online courses. While "discussion" is in the name, it's not uncommon to see students struggle to have meaningful conversations in these digital spaces. One Quick Fix to this predicament is to require students to post a discussion question at the end of their…

Online discussion forums are highly valued by instructors due to their affordance for understanding class activities and learning. However, a discussion forum with a great number of posts requires a large amount of time to view, and help requests are easily overlooked. Various machine-learning--based tools have been developed to help instructors…

With the growth of online courses, moderators can play a significant role in engaging and supporting learners in asynchronous online discussions (AODs). However, a synthesis of the research on moderators has not been performed in the 40 years since the term was first used in reference to online learning. We examined 76 studies to determine key…

The purpose of this study was to explore how students interpret and negotiate menstruation in PE in online forums. We conducted a qualitative discourse analysis of 12 threads from 4 different German-language online forums, in which menstruation in PE is discussed by students. Our goal was to analyse which topics structure this online discourse and…

Purpose: Synchronous virtual classes are becoming more common as universities expand access. However, instructors can feel hesitant as they move to a new style of teaching, especially if they are not sure their chosen pedagogy will work with virtual instruction. The purpose of this dialogic analysis is to examine the experiences of a dialogic…

The relationship between quantity of instructor to student interactions in online, asynchronous, course-specific courses at the community college level is under-researched. This quantitative, correlational study examined the relationship between the weekly number of instructor-generated posts and two course outcomes within fully online history…

To unpack the process of how health information seeking influences health behaviors, we examined the mediating roles of interpersonal discussion and online information sharing in the associations between health information seeking and healthy lifestyle behaviors and the moderating role of health literacy in the associations among health…

In this paper, we report on a study involving third-year undergraduate mathematics students who were taking a course in Mathematics Education. The participants, prospective teachers, discussed typical misconceptions in mathematics. They first worked in Moodle environment communicating in small groups and with the whole class using Quick Chat…

In recent years, online education in institutions of higher learning has exponentially expanded the application of digital approaches to learning. The Learning Management Systems (LMS) used by online instruction provide a variety of tools to enhance learning with peers and instructors (Yount & Neild, 2022). One such tool, Asynchronous…

Cognitive engagement is an essential component in student learning. With the increase of more asynchronous virtual educational tools in classrooms, there is a need to understand how students are engaging with classroom content in these formats. Several studies have examined student and teacher perceptions of cognitive engagement in virtual…

Online discussion forums are common features of learning management systems; they allow teachers to engage students in topical discussions in environments beyond physical spaces. This study presents a novel approach to operationalizing the connections between social interaction and contextual topics by visualizing posts in an online discussion…

Discussion board forums have become commonplace within online learning environments (OLEs). With student enrollment in online classes continuing to rise and the emergence of COVID-19, more students will be utilizing discussion forums within OLEs than ever before. Positive pedagogical support for the use of discussion forums abounds, but studies on…

Background: Social contact and belonging are among the most important keys to health and wellbeing, especially for the most vulnerable during the current global pandemic. Method: This reflective paper describes the authors' efforts to sustain an online version of a well-established community psychology-oriented group for men with learning…