Judicial Appointments Communication

Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes

This article by Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronje' (2007) uses a mixed methods approach to investigate how online activity and discussion postings relate to learning and course completion and how student participation influences the learning community. The authors note that as more formal education course become available online, quality and non-completion remain a problem. Retention and success rates in such courses and programs are frequently reported as typically lower than those delivered in a traditional classroom format. The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of online visibility apparent in the quantity and quality of participation how this relates to the successful completion of a postgraduate online course.

Participants in the study were pursuing their Masters degree in an 8-week course on web-based distance learning in a...

This was an elective course usually delivered in a blended contact and online mode delivered entirely online. Because of the mode of delivery the population of the study was a cohort of 22 geographically distributed students ranging in age from approximately 30 to 50.
The researchers found that the only students who completed the class successfully were the ones who contributed to the class or interacted with the facilitator. Students who were unsuccessful contribute less and their contributions are of poorer quality, reflecting less interaction with fellow students and the facilitator. The authors conclude that students who login less frequently fail because they miss out on the opportunity to gain the crucial support needed for success.

Furthermore, the research indicates that students who did not contribute did not become part of the community, and did not benefit from peer interaction…