Online Collaborative Learning: Increasing Student Participation

As proprietary online programs such as FirstClass and WebCT become widely used in the tertiary sector increasing the use of bulletin board discussions, problematic issues arise for many teachers in encouraging student participation. While the possibilities for student-to-student and student-to-teacher interaction through discussion are instantly recognised, some teachers are confronted with an increased workload and frustrated by constant monitoring of bulletin board discussions. A sizeable amount of conventional bulletin board use relies on a student responding to teacher questions or statements that the teacher believes are thought provoking. The students' unwillingness to participate in online discussions may well be due to the lack of considered purpose and methodology.This paper proposes that the application of activity based processes on bulletin boards that require students to participate with one another in focused discussions, will result in improved outcomes for student learning. Also, this planned approach to the use of collaborative learning activities on bulletin boards will allow the teacher to adopt the role of facilitator rather than the constant monitor which is becoming all too prevalent.