Online forums in support of traditional courses
- 1. Presented by Kelly Smith EDAE A637 Design of eLearning Dr. Andy Page
- 2. Investigation of the affect of online discussion forums to support traditional classroom instruction.
- 3. Quasi-Experimental Subjects were grouped randomly 3 groups Control Experimental group 1, and Experimental group 2
- 4. Will the discussion forums affect student performance in the areas of; In-class discussion, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Critical thinking
- 5. The same discussion threads were posted for both experimental groups. The same discussion points were provided to the control group in the classroom. All groups use the same assessment instruments.
- 6. Control group students spent more out of class time memorizing vocabulary words. Test scores showed no statistically significant differences. Scores trended higher in groups with discussion forums.
- 7. Group 3 students provided more in depth postings. Group 2 students scored higher in critical thinking skills. Group 3 students wrote almost twice as much.
- 8. Discussion forums may improve critical thinking skills. Observations of other skill sets are inconclusive. Additional study with a larger sample or longer time period may yield better data.
- 9. Tianyi Zhang, Tianguang Gao, Gail Ring, Wei Zhang. (2007). Using Online Discussion Forums to Assist a Traditional English Class. International Journal on ELearning , 6(4), 623-643. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID: 1381120221). Link to article