Dr. Shu-Hsiang "Ava" Chen and I are exploring the perceptions of international students about threaded discussions with peers in online and hybrid courses.
We are currently conducting survey responses (https://goo.gl/forms/KD97ID93LuPHrUjv2), though we are interested in anecdotal or more informal thoughts in this kind of forum in addition to any formal research or literature reviews conducted by others.
Thank you in advance for any formal or informal observations you might share.
Dear Barbara:
As once an international student, I know that sometimes the online facilitators are not always attuned to the cultural norms of international students, especially their communication customs. As such, sometimes we may experience cultural insensitivity on this platform. For example, you may be told that there is no "z" in the word "organization" because local students use American English with an "s". These articles give more insight into the challenges that international students face in the classroom that can be helpful for you:
Data Generation I: International and invisible in a workforce edu...
Article Workforce Education and Development (WED): Graduate Students...
Conference Paper Culturally Responsive ICT Integration into Teaching and Learning
Best regards,
Debra
I am curious in knowing the perceptions that international students have with regards to threaded online discussions and hybrid courses.
Thank you, Haitham and Dickson, for your interest in the topic. And thank you, Debra, for your response with a specific example and additional resources, which I look forward to viewing.
As an international student, I hope you will also share your thoughts in the survey (https://goo.gl/forms/KD97ID93LuPHrUjv2) and perhaps share the survey with other international students you know/knew.
Thanks again,
Barb
Slightly diverging from your focus but might have some useful insights Chiu, Y.-C. J. (2009). Facilitating Asian students' critical thinking in online discussions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(1), 42-57.
Thank you, Malcolm. Indeed, I have read that article. I am glad to see you agree on its relevance.
Sincerely,
Barb
In Mexico, what we found is that it was difficult for students to engage in discussions. Politeness halts disagreement, and thus arguments are not constructed nor documented. Students seek communication channels outside those provided in their online and blended course, and then agree on what each one is going to post. Disagreements that are documented in the course forum platform are agreed upon beforehand using email, facebook messenger, or actual phone calls. So what gets documented is a performance of a disagreement and not an actual disagreement.
This approach is very useful to know, Gloria, and is a great example of what happens behind the scenes that is not captured in a transcript of the discussions. In our survey (https://goo.gl/forms/KD97ID93LuPHrUjv2), we do ask about what other forms of communication are used outside of the course room; your example reiterates the value of this. Thank you.
A good thread will incorporate three parts:
• Part 1: State what your considered thought or recommendation might be, "What do you think?”
• Part 2: State why you think what you think. Examine your own experiences, beliefs, or knowledge. It is also a good place to provide references, textual quotations, and/or links to materials that
reinforce your opinion.
• Part 3: State what you wish you knew or directly solicit the opinion of classmates (ask a question!)
- University Writing Center, University of Nevada, Reno
https://www.unr.edu/Documents/liberal-arts/writing-center/Discussion-Board-Thread.pdf
Also, undergraduates are more social than graduates in their interaction. In an undergraduate course, you will find their threads continue up to five to seven posts, and they have more social presence indicators. Their interactions are similar to a synchronous friendly chat.
In discussions in graduate courses, you are more likely to find independent posts than threaded discussion. Graduates are more likely to start a new discussion than to respond to a classmate's post. Instead of responding to a post they disagree with in the same thread as the first post, graduates will start a new discussion with their position, without acknowledging that their classmate's post disagrees with their own. This is because the pressure to be nice weights more on them than the requirement to be critical.
Critical discourse is difficult to find in both cases.
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