Ordering effects in a role-based scaffolding intervention for asynchronous online discussions

Elaine Farrow, Johanna Moore, Dragan Gašević

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference PaperResearchpeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A common scaffolding approach in computer-supported collaborative learning is the assignment of specific roles to the participants in online asynchronous discussions. Previous work has demonstrated how this type of scaffolding can result in student contributions of greater depth and quality. However, since students necessarily experience the roles in varying orders, it is important to consider whether the ordering impacts the outcome. This paper addresses the issue by examining a scaffolding intervention that was deployed in an asynchronous online discussion forum, where students were assigned to lead the discussion in one thread as the ‘expert’ and to participate in other threads by asking questions. A network analytic approach was used to visualise and quantify several potential ordering effects within the intervention. The constructs of cognitive presence and cognitive engagement, from the Community of Inquiry and the ICAP frameworks, were used together to measure the depth and quality of the discussion contribution expressed in each message. The analysis confirmed that the contributions made while the student was in the ‘expert’ role scored significantly higher for both constructs, but found that the order in which students took on each role had little impact on the quality of their contributions to other threads. This result contrasts with earlier work on single-duty roles that found an advantage in being assigned certain roles early in the discussion, and suggests that instructors should feel confident in rotating more complex user roles between students.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication22nd International Conference, AIED 2021 Utrecht, The Netherlands, June 14–18, 2021 Proceedings, Part I
EditorsIdo Roll, Danielle McNamara, Sergey Sosnovsky, Rose Luckin, Vania Dimitrova
Place of PublicationCham Switzerland
PublisherSpringer
Pages125-136
Number of pages12
ISBN (Electronic)9783030782924
ISBN (Print)9783030782917
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
EventInternational Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education 2021 - Utrecht, Netherlands
Duration: 14 Jun 202118 Jun 2021
Conference number: 22nd
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-78292-4 (Proceedings)

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
PublisherSpringer
Volume12748
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

Conference

ConferenceInternational Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education 2021
Abbreviated titleAIED 2021
Country/TerritoryNetherlands
CityUtrecht
Period14/06/2118/06/21
Internet address

Keywords

  • Cognitive engagement
  • Cognitive presence
  • Community of inquiry
  • Critical thinking
  • Epistemic network analysis
  • Learning analytics
  • Online discussion
  • Scaffolding
  • Student engagement

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