Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronje (2008) focus on the establishment of an online community, its benefits for the completion of an online learning course, and also its potential pitfalls in terms of student relationships and the learning process itself. According to the authors, one of the most important challenges that deserve attention is the phenomenon of "read-only" participants, who tend to only skim over posted work and deliberately harvests the posts of their peers without any equivalent effort of their own. The aim of the article is then to find ways in which this type of behavior can be discouraged to promote ways in which all students can derive the maximum benefit and enjoyment from the online environment.
Credibility
The credibility of the article can be based upon the highly thorough literature review that provides not only a wide variety of sources that have been investigated, but also multiple perspectives. As such read-only participation in its more positive, as well as inadvertent, capacities are also explored. The authors therefore recognize the high complexity level of such research, and provide the reader with plenty of background for a full understanding of the topic.
The article is not only credible, but also highly relevant, especially in the world of learning and technology today. Practically all colleges and universities today offer some sort of online education, either in the form of distance learning or supplementary student...
It is therefore vitally important to investigate challenges and ways to overcome them, as Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronje (2008) do.
Indeed, Roper (2007) notes how an increasing number of student are also finding online learning to be a viable alternative for further education, especially as the economy today necessitates it for many young people to seek employment even while improving their level of education. Bauer and Anderson (2002, p. 65) confirm that class attendance in the online setting has become extinct as an assessment tool, while student participation, on the other hand, has become quantifiable. This enhances the relevance of studies like the one under discussion here.
Many have also investigated methods to create a most favorable environment for online learning, such as Brindley, Alti and Blaschke (2009), who focus on creating effective groups for learning in the online environment. Authors such as McBrien, Jones, and Cheng (2009) suggest that the online environment should, at least to some extent, simulate campus classrooms in order to facilitate and encourage participation.
Findings and Conclusion
Basically, the authors found that students who deliberately engage in read-only activities, or those who are unable to log on or remain in touch with the facilitator and online materials on a regular basis, are less likely to succeed in the online course. Furthermore, it was also found that even…
