Cara North

Asynchronous discussion is one of the most prevalent pedagogical strategies used in online education, yet this frequency of use has meant that its implementation has often not been supported by a robust understanding of how it should be designed and moderated to support students’ learning. In particular, the literature has tended to focus on the instructor’s role in moderation and facilitation, while paying less attention to more student-focused strategies that foster meaningful dialogue and… Show more

Asynchronous discussion is one of the most prevalent pedagogical strategies used in online education, yet this frequency of use has meant that its implementation has often not been supported by a robust understanding of how it should be designed and moderated to support students’ learning. In particular, the literature has tended to focus on the instructor’s role in moderation and facilitation, while paying less attention to more student-focused strategies that foster meaningful dialogue and engagement on their part. Centering the learner, this study presents an innovative approach for online discussions, examining a case where online students created and facilitated online discussions for a graduate-level course at a Midwestern research university. The study offers reflections from four graduate students, between the ages of 20-55, who took the course over the past two years, and who have analyzed what they gained from creating and facilitating discussion. These students’ reflections foreground how, by participating in this process, they experienced an authentic sense of connectedness and collaboration, as they had the opportunity to bring their perspectives and priorities to the course, and take responsibility for their own and their classmates’ success. Show less

This study offers a novel pedagogical approach for online discussions, as it presents reflections on a case where online students were permitted to create and facilitate online discussions. These reflections come from four graduate students, between the ages of 20-55, enrolled in an online Masters' degree at a research university in the United States. These reflections demonstrate how the students experienced a shift in their role within the course, as they negotiated how to position themselves… Show more

This study offers a novel pedagogical approach for online discussions, as it presents reflections on a case where online students were permitted to create and facilitate online discussions. These reflections come from four graduate students, between the ages of 20-55, enrolled in an online Masters' degree at a research university in the United States. These reflections demonstrate how the students experienced a shift in their role within the course, as they negotiated how to position themselves as leaders and learners, and ultimately developed a greater sense of ownership towards the course. In turn, their authorship altered the learning and teaching praxis within the course, as they brought their own experiences, priorities, and insights to bear on the design process, and became responsible for their own and their peers' success. Thus, they show online learning may be designed to allow for more authentic collaboration and connectedness within the digital environment.

Citation: Correia, A.P., North, C.A., Korkmaz, C., Simmerman, V.E. & Bruce Wallace, K.A. (2018). No prior experience necessary: Reflecting on the learning experiences offered by student-created online discussions. In T. Bastiaens, J. Van Braak, M. Brown, L. Cantoni, M. Castro, R. Christensen, G. Davidson-Shivers, K. DePryck, M. Ebner, M. Fominykh, C. Fulford, S. Hatzipanagos, G. Knezek, K. Kreijns, G. Marks, E. Sointu, E. Korsgaard Sorensen, J. Viteli, J. Voogt, P. Weber, E. Weippl & O. Zawacki-Richter (Eds.), Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media and Technology (pp. 2205-2218). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 13, 2018 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/184582/.

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This article offers an evaluation of the Duolingo English Test. While many may be familiar with the Duolingo app, the Duolingo English Test, created in 2014, is an English proficiency test administered online. The test takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is monitored by a live reviewer. In order to evaluate this product, the evaluation team defined evaluation methods and designed evaluative instruments to analyze findings. Recommendations to improve this product were offered.

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