Facilitating open online discussions: speech acts inspiring and hindering deep conversations

ABSTRACT

Creating an online learning environment that engages learners beyond the given course period is challenging. Open, participant-driven discussion forums, where participants are provided with greater agency on what to learn, how to learn, and whom to learn with, have a unique potential to help learners engage in learning experiences based on their interests and needs. Based on sequential and qualitative analysis of speech acts found in the participant-initiated discussion threads hosted as part of a massive open online course, this paper explored the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves to gain a better understanding of the types of actions in the discussion that stimulated deeper engagement with the ideas of interest. The analysis identified several facilitative moves that nurture or hinder deeper conversation in an open online discussion forum that has design implications. The paper also highlights the potential of analysing conversation sequences of posts as a promising method to study discussion forum data.

KEYWORDS:

• Online learning
• facilitation
• sequence analysis
• MOOC
• professional community

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. This needs to be read with caution as there are fewer responses (N = 11) coded in T2 and thus in the T2-T4 cell in the matrix.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Devayani Tirthali

Devayani Tirthali is an educational technology researcher and a research design consultant working with early-career researchers and social-sector professionals. She earned an Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests under the umbrella of ‘Education in Everyday Living’ span a variety of locations: social media, virtual worlds, and gaming; MOOCs and online learning; as well as educational technology in schools and colleges. Previously she has worked at the Institute for Learning Technologies, Teachers College, as a Research Associate evaluating NSF funded projects in school and university settings. At Brown University, Devayani worked with faculty to promote purposeful use of technology in teaching and iterative research design.

Yumiko Murai

Yumiko Murai is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Technology and Learning Design Program at the Faculty of Education, Simon Fraser University. Her research focuses on designing and studying assessment, technological tools, and environments that support learner motivation and confidence through online and in-person creative activities. Prior to SFU, Yumiko worked as a learning researcher at MIT Playful Journey Lab and Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT Media Lab, designing and conducting online and in-person professional development programs and assessment for maker and computer science educators. Yumiko holds an Ed.D. in Communication in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.