FORMATTING THREADED DISCUSSIONS FOR ENHANCED E-LEARNING: EXPLORING BEST PRACTICES

This paper explores which of several formats in threaded discussions seem to work best for student learning. Student surveys were conducted over a period of three years asking which of four types of threaded discussions were most valuable to them in the online learning environment. The first study was conducted in 2013-2014, followed by a second study conducted in 2015-2016. Each study was composed of multiple student surveys administered in the fall, spring, and summer terms. Graduate and undergraduate students in Business and Education classes were surveyed. Courses were taught both in the partially online and fully online formats. The setting was a mid-size private university in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Results differed. In each of the surveys, students were asked to choose which of the four formats for threaded discussions they preferred. More than a quarter of the participants in the first study responded that they liked all of the formats "about the same." In the second study, almost a third of the students said they preferred discussion formats that allowed them to express an opinion on a scenario or an example provided by the instructor. This paper examines the possible basis for the differences.