This paper uses the case-study method to examine detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first-semester associate degree course in applied psychology at the City University of Hong Kong. The paper identifies "what works" in relation to discussion…

Many consider rich argumentation to be the core of quality discussions and view it as a vehicle to solving problems and clarifying content. This study examined the influence of a discussion leader intervention on the quality of online argumentation and interactivity. Subjects were 44 undergraduate students who participated in online discussions on…

The variation in the interaction patterns of group members was investigated in this study. Data on the three major variables -- Sociability, Interaction, and Demographic factors were collected by means of the Social-introversion-extraversion scale in Guilford's "An Inventory of Factors STDCR," the Reciprocal Category System, and a brief…

This study determined the effects of assigning students from speech classes to one of 14 positive sociometrically determined groups, 14 negative sociometrically determined groups, or 14 randomly determined groups upon individuals' satisfaction with the group and the time needed to solve a specific test problem. All significant differences among…

A study investigated how teachers and learners negotiated meaning in three teacher-led whole-class and nine peer-group prewriting discussions in a pre-university English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program, analyzing interaction features such as comprehension/confirmation checks, clarification/feedback requests, self/other corrections, and…

In this article we discuss findings from a case-study related to the distance education of teachers of Italian as a second/foreign language. This case-study has examined interactions among teachers during their discussions in a web-forum exploiting the model of content analysis proposed in the "Practical Inquiry Model" by Garrison, Anderson, and…

This study compared the effectiveness of two interventions that differed in the nature of dialogic interactions among teachers and students in reading groups. Teacher-interns (n=35) instructed 109 children with mild disabilities in special education resource rooms. Analyses indicated that the intervention featuring dialog, social interactions, and…

The Adult Numeracy and Mathematics On-Line (ANAMOL) project investigated the use of online technology as a medium for professional discussion, networking, and collaboration among a small group of isolated adult numeracy practitioners in Australia. After investigation of several methods of online communication, freeware was selected because, in…

Reports on a study that examined undergraduate student pairs carrying out an electronic discussion task in a synchronous computer mediated communication system. Discusses collaborative argumentation; focusing; knowledge construction; learning processes; comparative analyses of dialog between tutor and student; and peer coaching. (Contains 33…

Efforts were undertaken to increase students' interactivity in an online course in adult development. The purpose was to increase students' engagement with the course materials, heighten their online discussions, and deepen their thinking about course-related concepts, theoretical principles, and research findings. Several strategies were used…

The concept of knowledge building communities has not traditionally been associated with agricultural extension, but is one which has the potential to increase the rate of adoption of best management practices by the industry. A potentially important mechanism to facilitate knowledge building is information and communication technology (ICT);…

University professors increasingly are expected to infuse computer technology in teaching. Many universities are aggressively promoting the delivery of entire courses and programs using computers and the Internet as vehicles for instruction. There is also a movement to align university teaching with the national standards for K-12 teaching.…

The authors work as online tutors for a BSc (Hons) physiotherapy programme at Coventry University in the United Kingdom. This paper represents a stage in our developing understanding, over a 3 year period, of the impact of group dynamics on online interaction among physiotherapy students engaged in sharing with their peers their first experiences…