Abstract
This study delves into the effect of instruction intervention on a MOOC forum discussion to ascertain its impact on students’ participation and the characteristics of their interactions. Using a mixed-method approach combining social network analysis (SNA) and inductive qualitative analysis, the relationships and underlying interactions within an EFL MOOC discussion were examined. The findings revealed that instruction intervention by teachers effectively augmented students’ engagement within the discussion area, fostering both instructor-learner and learner-learner interactions. Additionally, the conventional hub-and-spoke structure, where the instructor serves as the central node in the MOOC forum, was found to be subject to change through instruction intervention. Network analysis of the original post and a comparative assessment of two instances highlighted the direct reply tie definition as the most informative for revealing interaction relationships. It is recommended that teachers and teaching assistants actively and strategically participate in MOOC discussions to facilitate independent learning in the era of intelligent education.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alonso, F., Lopez, G., Manrique, D., Vines, J.M.: An instructional model for web-based e-learning education with a blended learning process approach. Br. J. Edu. Technol. 36(2), 217–235 (2005)
Brooks, C., Thomasson, H., Caverly, D.: The pedagogical role of forums in MOOCs: a study of massive open online course discussion forums. Internet High. Educ. 48, 100777 (2021)
Chen, Y.H., Hong, J.C., Chiou, S.K.: Effects of flipped classroom and online discussion teaching strategies on college students’ learning outcomes, satisfaction, and engagement. Interact. Learn. Environ. 1–16 (2021)
Chen, Z., Jiao, J., Hu, K.: Characteristics of learner interaction and network construction in MOOC forum discussion. In: ICOIE 2019, pp. N/A. Hong Kong (2019)
Chen, Z., Jiao, J., Hu, K.: Formative assessment as an online instruction intervention: student engagement, outcomes, and perceptions. Int. J. Distance Educ. Technol. (IJDET) 19(1), 50–65 (2021)
Gillani, N., Eynon, R.: Communication, collaboration and community: a critical analysis of the use of social media in higher education. In: Newman, E.M., Eidson, C.T., Henry, R.M. (Eds.) Communication Across the Life Span, pp. 177–194. Taylor & Francis (2019)
Johnson, G.M., Veletsianos, G., Seaman, J.: U.S. faculty and administrators’ experiences and approaches in the early weeks of the covid-19 pandemic. Online Learn. 24(2), 6–21 (2020)
Johnson, N.F.: Inside online learning: examining learner interactions in an asynchronous online discussion forum. Internet High. Educ. 44, 100718 (2020)
Jones, M., Smith, K.: Exploring the relationship between student motivation, engagement, and retention in a MOOC: a comparative, longitudinal study. Internet High Educ. 33, 60–70 (2017)
Jung, I., Lee, J.: Effects of different types of interaction on learning achievement, satisfaction, and participation in web-based instruction. Innov. Educ. Teach. Int. 55(3), 338–346 (2018)
Lee, Y., Choi, I., Kim, T.: Instructor immediacy in massive open online courses (MOOCs): an analysis of learner experiences and perceptions. Comput. Educ. 137, 36–47 (2019)
Reeve, J.: A self-determination theory perspective on student engagement. In: Christenson, S.L., Reschly, A.L., Wylie, C., (Eds.) Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, pp. 149–172. Springer (2012)
Smith, M.S., Jones-Farmer, A., Williams, B.D., Maben, S.: The impact of prior knowledge on interactions in a MOOC discussion board. Comput. Educ. 141, 103605 (2019)
Smith, R.L.: Interaction and learning. In: Seo, K.K. (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology (4th ed.), pp. 1731–1740. IGI Global (2018)
Tang, S., Zhang, X., Chen, Z., Qi, M., Xu, T.: Exploring factors influencing college students’ engagement in blended learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Distance Educ. 43(4), 540–563 (2022)
Wang, Q., Woo, H.L., Quek, C.L., Yang, Y., Liu, M.: Using the ARCS model to examine MOOC learner dropout and retention: perspectives of learners and instructors. Educ. Tech. Res. Dev. 68(5), 2201–2222 (2020)
Wang, Y.: A framework for assessing the quality of MOOCs. In: Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Online Learning in Higher Education, pp. 120–135. IGI Global (2022)
Wise, A.F., Cui, Y., Hausknecht, S.: Learning analytics for online discussions: design approaches and tools to reveal patterns of student engagement. J. Educ. Technol. Soc. 20(3), 180–192 (2017)
Wise, A.F., Cui, Y.: Discourse-centric learning analytics. In: Huang, R., DĂaz-Morales, K.J., Ruiz-Shulcloper, J.A. (Eds.) Intelligent Data Engineering and Automated Learning – IDEAL 2018, pp. 168–176. Springer (2018)
Wise, A.F., Cui, Y.: Examining the potential of learning analytics in computer-supported collaborative learning. Int. J. Comput.-Support. Collab. Learn. 13(1), 7–34 (2020)
Wu, T.Y.: Systematic analysis of online discussion patterns and participant roles in a massive open online course using social network analysis. Interact. Learn. Environ. 29(4), 489–506 (2021)
Acknowledgments
The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the anonymous reviewers and Professor Chen Zexuan from Southern Medical University for their invaluable feedback on earlier versions of this paper. This paper is funded by the Education Science Planning Project in Guangdong Province in 2022 (Higher Education Project) (Grant No. 2022GXJK219).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Chen, W. (2024). Effect of Instruction Intervention on MOOC Forum Discussion: Student Engagement and Interaction Characteristics. In: Cheung, S.K.S., Wang, F.L., Paoprasert, N., Charnsethikul, P., Li, K.C., Phusavat, K. (eds) Technology in Education. Innovative Practices for the New Normal. ICTE 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1974. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8255-4_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-8255-4_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-99-8254-7
Online ISBN: 978-981-99-8255-4
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)