OmniFocus Review
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The study compared threaded discussion forums and text-focused wikis for online discussions. 20 master's students participated, first using threaded discussions then switching to wikis focused on the assigned text. Students reported the wiki discussions were more focused, in-depth, and had better flow. They were more willing to participate by posting more and re-reading the text. While wikis were less open to personal stories, they supported focusing on the text. Future research should explore different discussion types each format supports and how to combine formats.
![Student Engagement in Distance
Learning Environments:
A Comparison of Threaded
Discussion Forums and Text–focused
Wikis
by Fei Gao and David Wong
First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 1 (13 January 2008)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/researcharticlepreso-091119191509-phpapp02/85/OmniFocus-Review-1-320.jpg)
![Sources:
Gao, Fei, AND Wong, David. "Student engagement in
distance learning environments: A comparison of threaded
discussion forums and text-focused Wikis" First Monday
[Online], Volume 13 Number 1 (13 January 2008)](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/researcharticlepreso-091119191509-phpapp02/85/OmniFocus-Review-22-320.jpg)
OmniFocus Review
- 1. Student Engagement in Distance Learning Environments: A Comparison of Threaded Discussion Forums and Text–focused Wikis by Fei Gao and David Wong First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 1 (13 January 2008)
- 2. Research Article Review By Martina Henke EDAE 637 : The Design of E-Learning University of Alaska Dr. Andrew Page
- 3. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to improve the quality of students’ online discussion of assigned readings in an online course.
- 4. Online Discussions... deepen student understanding of course material and to support student interactions
- 5. Online Discussions... can reduce the psychological and communications distance among the learners
- 6. Online Discussions... can facilitate more collaborative learning when students post questions, share ideas, and jointly construct meaning
- 7. Online Discussions... are threaded, recorded, and available outside normal time constraints, thus have great potential to support higher- order thinking and in-depth learning
- 8. ...however... often lack focus and depth leave important issues unexplored
- 9. The Study: Researchers compared traditional threaded discussions with a text-focused wiki
- 10. The Study: Participants: 20 master’s level students in an online educational psychology course.
- 11. The Study: Methodology: Students first responded in threaded discussion format. In week 5 of class, a different format was introduced.
- 12. Assigned Text Student Responses Text-focused wiki
- 13. Data Collection: Questionnaire: (a) “How did the text–focused Wiki and the threaded forum impact your participation similarly or differently?” (b) “How did the text–focused Wiki and the threaded impact your discussion similarly or differently?” (c) “What were other good and bad experiences when participating in each of the activities?
- 14. Results: Four Discussion Areas Influenced: • focus • depth • flow • willingness to participate
- 15. Focus:
- 16. Depth:
- 18. Willingness to Participate: • 16 of 20 more enthusiastic about the text-focused wiki • Greater average # of posts and # of words posted • Spontaneous re-reading of the text
- 19. Some Constraints: • Less chance to discuss personal stories & real- life situations • Good for focusing, not as strong at developing a broad view
- 20. Implications for Future Research • What types of discussion the text-focused wiki does and does not support • How best to combine these types of discussion with other forms • How instructor scaffolding and facilitation can be combined with these discussions.
- 21. My Thoughts: This method fits with current research on effective comprehension teaching strategies A creative method for overcoming the difficulties presented by threaded discussion forums.
- 22. Sources: Gao, Fei, AND Wong, David. "Student engagement in distance learning environments: A comparison of threaded discussion forums and text-focused Wikis" First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 1 (13 January 2008)