Student Participation Patterns in Asynchronous Distance Learning Courses
John Thompson, Buffalo State College
The discussion area is a major component in many asynchronous distance learning courses. This study analyzed the participation patterns of students from two different 100% asynchronous distance learning graduate courses taught by the researcher over five years. The data were drawn from observing student use statistics during the courses and from the course evaluations (59.8% response rate) over the five year time period.
The content of the ASCUE 2006 presentation will be an interactive PowerPoint presentation that describes the study, depicts the accumulated data in graphical format, and discusses the resulting interpretations and implications for distance learning instructors and students.
Participants will learn the results of a five-year longitudinal study on student participation patterns in online courses. The result will be that the participants will see the resulting implications for teaching online courses and should be able to adjust their distance learning courses accordingly to maximize their students’ participation.
