Abstract
This study analyzes online discussions in a course portal that supplemented class discussion in three continuing education courses. Our student groups were full-time professionals who studied on a part-time basis. We use and adapt some elements of Henri's model for content analysis to quantitatively and qualitatively analyse the online discourse (Henri, 1992). Transcript content analyses show that students' messages were on-task, thoughtful, and indicative of student-initiated learning and a good amount of peer help. While other studies have studied effective discussion through similar forums or computer-mediated instruction, we emphasize the role of the e-mentors in promoting and mediating the discussions. We discuss factors that contributed to the effective use of the discussion forums for fostering learning, including e-mentors' enthusiasm in responding to the messages, and e-mentoring strategies. We also induce several strategies adopted by the e-mentors in facilitating online forum discussions. Copyright © 2010, IGI Global.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Comparative blended learning practices and environments |
| Editors | Eugenia M. W. NG |
| Place of Publication | Hershey, PA |
| Publisher | IGI Global |
| Pages | 146-169 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781605668536 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781605668529 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |