Exploring How Peer and Instructor Facilitation Relates to Students' Activity Patterns in Online Learning Communities

• In Event: Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: Technology-Based Learning Environments for Teachers, Parents, and Communities

Abstract

As online learning becomes more popular instructors must consider how to best design their courses to support student participation and learning needs. Some previous studies have emphasized the importance of instructor facilitation to help provide this support. Other scholars have suggested peer facilitation might be the better approach. Our research compared these two approaches and found that students had a higher level of participation in instructor facilitated online courses with more written notes, replies, rereads, revisions, and connections to other notes, than peer facilitated courses. Furthermore, instructor facilitated courses had a stronger sense of community compared to peer facilitated courses.

Authors

• Krystle Shivana Phirangee, OISE - University of Toronto

• Carrie Demmans Epp, University of Pittsburgh

• Jim Hewitt, OISE/University of Toronto