Topical Debate and Discussion Are Regarded As Necessary Components of Instruction in Many

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Rationale

Topical debate and discussion are regarded as necessary components of instruction in many content areas and the use of course blogs and forums to facilitate discussion and debate is common practice among instructors of online asynchronous courses. Numerous online resources are available to instructors providing a rationale for the use of discussion boards and Edutopia’s report Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation, prepared by TeacherStream, LLC in

2009, is typical of these resources. Development of community and topical awareness, allowing time for development of thorough discussion participation, granting students an opportunity to analyze and critique the work of classmates, promoting thinking and writing skills, and facilitating expert participation in course material are listed as components of online discussion that positively impact student learning outcomes (TeacherStream, 2009). Given the possibility of online discussion having such positive impacts on student learning it is worth evaluating some research that highlights best practices in implementing online discussion.

One approach that has been used recently in developing strategies for improving student outcomes in online discussion involves an inclusion of cognitive load theory. Cognitive load theory holds that learning activities should minimize demands on working memory to improve learning acquisition (Culatta, 2013). Darabi & Jin (2013) developed four strategies for online discussion based on cognitive load theory and evaluated them based on quality of online discussion and for learning efficiency. Results from the study suggest that two strategies resulted in both higher quality discussion and higher learning efficiency (Darabi & Jin, 2013).

The first effective strategy described by Darabi & Jin (2013) was labeled the example- posting strategy. In this strategy, instructors provided the discussion topic along with two example posts to serve as examples of how discussion might proceed. This was designed to [Type text] [Type text] [Type text] 2 provide greater cognitive resources for topical consideration resulting in high quality responses.

The second strategy, limited-posting strategy, was designed to limit the number of postings on each page. Students were asked to process only a limited number of postings per page before moving on in an effort to minimize the impact on their working memory. Darabi & Jin (2013) suggest that the two strategies developed for the study that show an increase in learning efficiency but not in discussion quality were improperly used in the study and they caution instructors to consider the context of the learning activity when deciding upon discussion strategies used (Darabi & Jin, 2013). This study offers evidence that the teaching strategies used by an instructor of online discussions can impact the learning outcomes of students.

An investigation conducted by Zha & Ottendorfer (2011) examined the role of peer led discussions in shaping student cognitive achievement. For the purposes of the study, peer leaders were randomly assigned to discussion groups by instructors and were responsible for fulfilling a list of responsibilities including selecting topics for discussion and various elements of moderating discussion. Lower level cognitive achievement was higher among discussion leaders than the respondent group. Higher level cognitive achievement varied based upon the topic selected and was not associated with either role. The study also revealed that student cognitive achievement in the discussion portion of the class correlated with overall academic achievement in the course (Zha & Ottendorfer, 2011).

Zha & Ostendorfer (2011) offer several recommendations for online discussion strategies based upon the results of their study. One recommendation was that instructors offer the opportunity to be peer discussion leader to each of the students through the duration of the course. Group facilitation guidelines for leaders were also recommended as were a set of responsibilities, similar to the responsibilities for the discussion leaders, to be assigned to the CREIGHED653TOOLEVALSPRING2015 3 discussion responders as well. The causal relationship between cognitive achievement in discussion and overall achievement in the course is a bit troubling and further study is recommended to better understand the relationship (Zha & Ottendorfer, 2011). Given the low emphasis placed on discussion in the course grade, it may suggest that the online discussion component is, in this case, unnecessary. It also suggests that peer mediation of discussion is a marginal approach in improving higher level cognitive achievement.

An additional attempt to measure cognitive achievement in association with online discussion was conducted by Naranjo, Onrubia, & Segués (2012) and involved a case study analysis of student cognitive achievement and participation in an online discussion model that involved no professor involvement. No correlation between frequency of participation and cognitive achievement was observed in the case study. When participants in the study were assigned profile groups by either participation or cognitive achievement a relationship was observed that placed all of the students in the high cognitive achievement group in the high participation group. In explaining this relationship it is suggested that participation is necessary but not sufficient to indicate high cognitive achievement (Naranjo, Onrubia, & Segués, 2012).

The results of this study suggest that instructors should consider more than participation in evaluating online discussion, as high participation does not necessarily mean positive learning outcomes for the student.

Darabi, Liang, Suryavanshi, & Yurekli (2013) conducted a meta-analysis study aimed at determining the effectiveness of strategies used by instructors of courses requiring participation in online discussion. The authors indicate that the rather small number of studies meeting the inclusion criteria of the meta-analysis highlights a lack of rigorous research to support the use of effective online discussion. Interestingly, the meta-analysis did show an overall positive effect [Type text] [Type text] [Type text] 4 size for the use of strategic discussion in online instruction over traditional methods (traditional methods being instructor poses questions and asks students to answer while strategic instruction included: greater instructor participation in discussion, scaffolding, and moderation of the discussion). The data also suggest that the effectiveness of the discussion increased with the number of pedagogical strategies included by the instructor (Darabi, Liang, Suryavanshi, &

Yurekli, 2013).

It is important to recognize that only eight studies out of a possible 120 identified by the authors met the inclusion criteria seriously limiting any conclusions that can be drawn from the study. It is, however suggestive of the need for active instructor participation in online discussions that goes beyond posing questions and commenting in the same capacity as students.

The authors concluded:

The findings document the effectiveness of pedagogically rich strategies that include the instructor’s involvement and participation in the discussion; monitoring and moderating the discussion; regular interaction with students; and facilitating learners’ interaction, collaboration, and teamwork. (Darabi et al., 2013)

Given the above recommendation, an instructor wishing to initiate or improve the use of discussion boards in an online course could improve the learning outcomes of their students by incorporating strategies that have been documented to be effective.

Comparison

Based upon the prior review of research supporting the use of discussion in online courses, there are several criteria that should be included in an instructor’s evaluation of possible discussion platforms. These include: ease of instructor participation and moderation of discussion, ways of limiting the number of posts or discussions that students are required to participate in, and the ability to allow students an opportunity to lead and moderate discussion.

Additionally, it makes sense that the discussion platform integrate with the course website and CREIGHED653TOOLEVALSPRING2015 5 not require additional payments by students or course instructors. For the purposes of this evaluation, the available resources reviewed will be limited to blogging platforms.

Richard Byrne (2014) compiled a list of educational blogging platforms provided information about each (Byrne, 2014). For the sake of this paper, Blogger, Edublogs, and

Wordpreess.org were reviewed from the perspective of a teacher wishing to initiate a course blog for the first time. Based on the compiled list of features, all three seem to be roughly equivalent.

Edublog.org requires payment of subscription fee to access features common to other platforms such as: managing student accounts, support for multiple authors, privacy restrictions, and embedding of certain types of media. Wordpress.org offers the instructor and students the greatest flexibility and control but it appears to require technical understanding that could slow a teacher down. This is particularly important for if teachers implementing a course blog for the first time. Additionally, the recommendations identified in the literature review appear to be unhelpful in sorting through the platforms as each blogging platform appears to offer instructors a similar level of control over the blog.

The simplest recommendation for a teacher implementing a course website in Google

Sites becomes the use of the Blogger platform offered by Google. It has all of the features that other sites offer, is free of charge, and presumably integrates well with Google Sites. As experience is gained in both the use of blogging as an instructional tool and the use of blogging software, it would make sense for a teacher to re-evaluate this decision based on experience.

Soliciting student feedback on the blogging platform used could also provide insight into platform evaluation and the need to change platforms. [Type text] [Type text] [Type text] 6

References

Byrne, R. (2014). Chart - A Comparison of Educational Blogging Platforms. Retrieved September 4, 2015, from http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/01/chart-comparison-of- educational.html#.VSdgZWZ4i1k Culatta, R. (2013). Cognitive Load Theory (John Sweller). Retrieved July 4, 2015, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-load.html Darabi, A., & Jin, L. (2013). Improving the quality of online discussion: the effects of strategies designed based on cognitive load theory principles. Distance Education, 34(1), 21–36. http://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2013.770429 Darabi, A., Liang, X., Suryavanshi, R., & Yurekli, H. (2013). Effectiveness of Online Discussion Strategies: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Distance Education, 27(4), 228–241. http://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2013.837651 Naranjo, M., Onrubia, J., & Segués, M. T. (2012). Participation and cognitive quality profiles in an online discussion forum. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(2), 282–294. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01179.x TeacherStream, L. (2009). Mastering Online Discussion Board Facilitation. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/stw/edutopia-onlinelearning-mastering-online-discussion- board-facilitation.pdf Zha, S., & Ottendorfer, C. L. (2011). Effects of Peer-Led Online Asynchronous Discussion on Undergraduate Students’ Cognitive Achievement. American Journal of Distance Education, 25, 238–253. http://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2011.618314