Cognitive Processing in Online Discussion-Based Communities of Inquiry

• In Event: Building Communities in Online Learning

Abstract

This study explored the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI) using a Discourse-Centric Learning Analytics (DCLA) approach to investigate the cognitive and features underlying student discourse in online college courses. Using automated linguistic analysis and student grades, the impact of instructional course formatting on individual student learning outcomes was investigated. Additionally, this study modeled the relationship between cognitive processing language and several other features of students’ online discussion posts. Findings revealed that learning outcomes were not affected by the instruction modality, nor the cognitive processing language used. Furthermore, it established a hierarchical linear model which predicts cognitive processing language predicted by the fixed effect and random effects of students analytical reasoning style.

Authors

• Samuel Bullard, University of Minnesota

• Keisha Varma, University of Minnesota