This study explores the combination of course structure, prompt type, and characteristics of discussion posts and their relationships with intersubjectivity. A content analysis measured the intersubjectivity of peer responses by analyzing the interaction analysis model (IAM) phase of each post and comparing with the IAM phase of the previous post.…

This study uses self-determination theory to examine the effect of gamification on the students' behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement in online discussion forums by providing more instructor badges than automatic badges and using a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design. Behavioral engagement was measured using the number…

Speaking in a foreign/second language is a challenge for many learners, even when they have linguistic knowledge. Drawing on González-Lloret and Ortega's (2014) framework for technology-mediated tasks and MacIntyre's (2007) framework for willingness to communicate in a second language, this mixed methods study investigated the impact of…

Engineering ethics education typically focuses on decisions by individual engineers and case studies of disasters. This does not reflect the everyday decisions that practicing engineers must make, and neglects the fact that most engineers work on teams rather than alone. The focus on safety and disaster prevention leaves little time for discussing…

This study investigated the effect of time on the development of a community of inquiry by examining an online course offered over two different time periods. The study was guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, "The Internet and Higher Education" 2000; 2(2-3): 87-105). The focus was on a graduate level…

Students' extensive use of Facebook in their daily lives has led researchers to investigate the affordances of Facebook for educational purposes. To further the research into the use of Facebook to improve language teaching, we conducted a convergent parallel mixed-methods study to examine the use of Community of Inquiry-informed Facebook…

This research was part of a larger longitudinal study of chronically ill rural women to determine if computer technology could be effective in allowing the women to take control of their own well-being, including finances. The current study examined whether chronically ill rural women can effectively use on-line personal finance educational…

In a study on experience-based learning in serious games, 45 players were tested for topic comprehension by a questionnaire administered before and after playing the single-player serious game Peacemaker (Impact Games 2007). Players were divided into two activity conditions: 20 played a 1-h game with a 3-min half-time break to complete an affect…

Online discussions are widely viewed as a valuable tool for encouraging student engagement and promoting interaction with course material outside of the traditional classroom. Strategies for conducting online discussions vary and are not confined to traditional, university-sponsored learning management systems (LMS). Social media platforms such as…

Promoting collaboration and discourse in asynchronous online courses is challenging; students need something engaging to talk about, a communications medium in which to fluidly discuss it, and a social environment that supports discourse. We designed a fully online introductory geoscience lecture and lab course called Geology Goes Hollywood that…

Scientific argumentation has been greatly emphasized in the National Science Standard due to its ability to enhance students' understanding of scientific concepts. This study investigated the mastery level of scientific argumentation, based on Toulmin's Argumentation Model (TAP), when students engage in individual and group argumentations. A total…

Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) is an instructional strategy involving feedback from students on prelecture activities in order to design in-class activities to build on the continuing feedback from students. We investigate the effectiveness of a JiTT approach, which included in-class concept tests using clickers in an upper-division quantum…

With the dramatic rise of diversity in American schools, the need to prepare teachers to work with this population, and the increasing popularity of online instruction, teacher educators and researchers need to pay greater attention to the effects of online instruction. This study examines and compares the impact of a critical multicultural…

The research presented here involved a one-semester study; during this period of time, reading comprehension instruction representing three major discussion-centered approaches (Book Club, BC; Literature Circles, LC; Instructional Conversations, IC) was designed and implemented. The effectiveness of the three experimental approaches and one…

This study reports on the pedagogical implications of using the Blackboard feature Discussion Board (DB) to improve students' learning in higher education. The study sample included three sections of female students--a total of 155 students--in an undergraduate course at an international university in Saudi Arabia. The impact of using DB on…