Student Motivation and Engagement in Online Discussion: Effect of Peer Moderators and Original Case Studies

• In Event: Poster Session 18
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Research on Online Instruction

Abstract

Asynchronous online discussion has been used in distance education for many years (Benbunan-Fich & Hiltz, 1999). Although research recognizes many benefits of asynchronous online discussion, the approach to understanding and organizing the discussion has been from a traditional perspective with much less consideration of the students’ intrinsic motivation, which directly impacts the rate of their participation in online discussions (Hew & Cheung, 2008; Xie, DeBacker, & Ferguson, 2006). This study explored specific teaching strategies to increase learner motivation, interaction and participation to support effective learning outcomes in asynchronous online discussion. The question is: What is the relation of peer designed and moderated case studies on student motivation in an asynchronous online discussion?

Authors

• Rashmi Chhetri, University of Houston

• Haoyue Zhang, University of Houston

• Sara G. Mcneil, University of Houston