4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 2)

Tweet

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about the behaviors I observed from my students in my weekly discussion forums. I identified four behaviors of my online students, namely - leaders, reactors, lurkers and slackers. So, as I ponder my students' behaviors online, I ask the question: Why do they behave this way? I used to think that student behavior in my online forums was mostly determined by their personalities. From my dissertation research and research "in the classroom", I've found that student behavior online has more to do with their motivation than with their offline personalities.  For instance, many of my "leader" students have told me that they are really shy in person. So, what makes them assume the "leader" behavior in the discussion forums?  Interesting.  I've continually looked at what motivates my students to participate in my courses (in particular, the weekly discussion forums) and how their participation affects their overall learning experience in my courses. Here's what I think. 

4 Types of Student Behaviors in Online Discussion Forums (Part 1)

Tweet

For my dissertation research, I studied the behaviors of users in online communities for 8 years.  I conducted a series of "ethnographic" studies on communities in which people shared career advice, shared personal stories, supported each other through hard times and tried new technologies together. I found that these learning communities provided support and enrichment opportunities for the participants. While teaching online, I've realized that the discussion forums in my courses have provided my students with the same opportunities as those participants I studied all those years ago.