Student Involvement in Computer-Mediated Communication: Comparing Discussion Posts in Online and Blended Learning Contexts

This study compares the nature of student-to-student online discussion participation in a course provided in a strictly online format to a blended course (traditional face-to-face classroom time with an online component). Prior research has documented the benefits of student-to-student discussion of course material for student learning, performance in courses, and satisfaction with the educational experience. Data for this study was collected from four identical discussion threads from online ad blended sections of an upper division communication course. The length of students' initial responses to the discussion probes was greater initially for the blended class, with the online class matching and surpassing the blended class in later conferences. However, the blended class consistently and significantly surpassed the online class in the number and length of subsequent postings to conferences (representing their responses to other classmates' posts). These results are discussed in terms of practical advice for structuring effective online discussions in virtual learning environments both fully online and blended formats.