...Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Robert Thierfelder Grand Canyon University Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes The notion of an online community for learning is a relatively new concept. Understanding of this phenomenon is the essence of this article. The exploration of the interaction between the students has an interesting conclusion. According to Nagel, L.; Blignaut, A. S.; Cronje, J. C. (2006) Beaudoin 2006 says, “The establishment of an online community is widely held as the most important prerequisite for successful course completion and depends on an interaction between a peer group and a facilitator. Online students sometimes engage and learn even when not taking part in online discussions.” (p. 15) It shows that quality interaction between individuals is essential to the success of the student. The article Nagel, L.; Blignaut, A. S.; Cronje, J. C. (2006) concluded that, “Read-only participants disrupt the formation of a virtual community of learners and compromise learning.” (P. 15) this, is an intriguing conclusion. One can now conclude that somewhat absente students, who are not real contributors, interrupt the student body. It can be therefore concluded that student participation by all students within the community, is essential. It would seem that even though the community is on-line and there is no physical interaction, a community developed. In...
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes" In the article written by Lynette Nagle, Seugnet , and Johannes Cronje "Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes" they talk about a wide array or reasons why students have done well or run into some learning barriers while taking online courses. As a professor with a Ph.D. in Computer-Integrated Education, Nagel understands participation in an online course and staying current with all assignments was what they needed to become more self-driven, empowering there initiative and interacting more freely between the other students along with them. Such as, in this course we learn and write about topics posed to us for all to see and read. We also form a dialogue/debate amongst each other with our responses. Once completed, the study which involved an eight week long elective course that encompassed a wide range of age groups along with different socio-economic and geographical areas, Nagel’s theory proved to be correct. That when it came to the course or assignments given, not all participants had to be involved with the other students or professors, but it was key to have open forums for discussions and debate with all the members of the class. Virtual classrooms were shown, having online areas where students could have discussions, not only yielded positive results from the students that are doing well in the class to forming a sense of unity and bond with everyone in the online classroom...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...The establishment of an online community is widely held as the most important prerequisite for successful course completion and depends on an interaction between a peer group and a facilitator. Beaudoin reasoned that online students sometimes engage and learn even when not taking part in online discussions. The context of this study was an online course on web-based education for a Masters degree in computer-integrated education at the University of Pretoria. We used a mixed methodology approach to investigate how online activity and discussion postings relate to learning and course completion. We also investigated how student collaborative behaviour and integration into the community related to success. Although the quantitative indices measured showed highly significant differences between the stratifications of student performance, there were notable exceptions unexplained by the trends. The class harboured a well-functioning online learning community. We also uncovered the discontent students in the learning community felt for invisible students who were absent without reason from group assignments or who made shallow and insufficient contributions. Student online visibility and participation can take many forms, like read-only participants who skim over or deliberately harvest others' discussions. Other students can be highly visible without contributing. Students who anticipate limited access due to poor connectivity, high costs or other reasons can manage their log-in time...
Words: 321 - Pages: 2
...To make a long story short...my mother passed away in July 2009, due to a mistake that the hospital made several times after a surgery. Her hospital records indicated that she has a reaction/allergic to heparin. It was injected into my mother on a hand full of occasion, causing her brain to die. I have contacted several lawyers, but they all said the same thing, "Due to her prior health conditions, we can not prove that she would have lived a minute after leaving the hospital\". My questions are quit simple...how valuable is human life, whether its one minute, one day, one year? How simple is it to read her medical records to see that she was given heparin, but records indicating her be allergic? Not faulting the lawyers, who did inform me that the court system/law says that you have to prove without a doubt that she would have had a life after the surgery, and that would be too costly for their firm. The hospital itself is at fault. Even when my sister told the nurse that she was allergic to it, he gave it to her anyway, saying, \"A little won't hurt her\". Granted, my mother was sleep at this time. We asked her doctor, Juan Crestinello about the heparin injections, and he claimed that he knew nothing about someone giving her heparin. But her hospital records state that he signed off on all of the injections. When are the hospital held accountable for their actions at the expense of someone’s life? She was a mother of 11, and was only in her 50\'s. Statement written for Ohio...
Words: 440 - Pages: 2
...Article Summary: Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes As technology advances more and more, computers and internet have become more accessible, affordable, and ever so popular in recent times. With easy accessibility to internet, the online learning environment is a growing trend. Schools all over the nation offer online programs and fast earning degrees. Students from different demographics and age groups fill online classrooms making it even more popular. However, with such diversity in the classroom how does the instructor control communication in the classroom? Does the lack of participation from fellow students influence the learning environment? What are some of the different types of students often found in the online classes environment? This article will summarize the main points found in a research based on a case study prepared by Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronjé. With extensive research, investigation, and observations Nagel et. al.(2007) put together an article highlighting the importance of communication in the online classes. Noticing a significant drop-out rate in online classes, they were determined to research what affected this rate and which aspects of the online classes were setting students behind. The authors used different methods to gather data to support their findings, and used different articles to incorporate their research and back up their conclusions. In order to analyze student participation they "presented an 8 week...
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
...Summary Read-Only Participants: A Case For Student Communication In Online Classes Enrolment for online courses is booming, however there is a significantly lower rate of success to these classes than in the traditional classroom enviroment The article “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” discusses the role of communication in online courses as well as explaining why some students succeed and others fail. An 8 week study was done on a web based Master’s program. Online communication, class participation and group assignments were monitored Students fell into three categories: Distinction(75% or higher), Pass (50% - 74%) and Fail (less than 50%). Students that were successful read a significant amount of course material, participated actively in discussions (via posts) where they used high critical thinking skills. The online communities were high functioning and healthy. The facilitator (professor) greatly influenced the outcome of the class. The more interaction he had with the class through feedback and possitive comments, the better the class involvement. The unsuccessful students shared various factors. Coursework was not completed and they read only about half of the online course material. They scored low on colaboration and posted significantly fewer discussions than those that passed or excelled. The amount of peer interaction influences the quality of learning The read only student logged in often but participated...
Words: 279 - Pages: 2
...Article Summary Read-Only Participants: a Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Article Summary Read-Only Participants: A Case For Student Communication In Online Classes Enrolment for online courses is booming, however there is a significantly lower rate of success to these classes than in the traditional classroom environment The article “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” discusses the role of communication in online courses as well as explaining why some students succeed and others fail. An 8 week study was done on a web based Master’s program. Online communication, class participation and group assignments were monitored Students fell into three categories: Distinction (75% or higher), Pass (50% - 74%) and Fail (less than 50%). Students that were successful read a significant amount of course material, participated actively in discussions (via posts) where they used high critical thinking skills. The online communities were high functioning and healthy. The facilitator (professor) greatly influenced the outcome of the class. The more interaction he had with the class through feedback and positive comments, the better the class involvement. The unsuccessful students shared various factors. Coursework was not completed and they read only about half of the online course material. They scored low on collaboration and posted significantly fewer discussions than those that passed or excelled. The amount of peer interaction...
Words: 292 - Pages: 2
...Summary Read-Only Participants: A case for student communication in online classes. Online learning is conducive to that of the traditional onsite learning facilities. There are some students who fully participate in the experience as well as those who take their learning environments for granted. A summary of the required reading “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” will support the noted claim. The study was completed to measure the various behaviors of the online learner. The research gathered the behaviors of students participating the in a Master’s degree web-based curriculum through the University of Pretoria. Beaudoin is noted as one of the greatest contributors to this case study. The study was broken into various parts. To support the introduction and conclusion of the study, the body included: Background, Literature, Context of this study, Methodology, and the Discussion. A breakdown of each subtopic of this study will be discussed in this summary. I have taken several online classes prior to reading this study and I found it to be very supportive to my conclusive evaluation of the practice. Although this study was completed in 2009, I can relate that my prior experiences in online classes were parallel to the researcher’s findings. The introduction made the reader aware that there are challenges to online learning and that “the establishment of an online community is widely held as the most important prerequisite...
Words: 871 - Pages: 4
...Read-only participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Grand Canyon University: UNIV 501 9 July 2011 A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes This article explains the importance of participation, interaction, and communication in the virtual classroom between the students and instructors. Many students today are enrolling in online classes to continue their education. Inside the online classroom, students began to meet and greet through discussion forums. Once a relationship and trust has been established between the students and instructors, an online community has been formed within that classroom. Students and their instructors will learn, communicate, and interact with one another throughout the course. Initially, everyone starts out participating in the online discussion forums, but then the true slackers make their appearance apparent in the online classroom. Some students log into the classroom, but show little or no involvement in the classroom or lack input in the discussion forums. This eventually creates a big problem in the online classroom. Due to the lack of log ins, participation, and interaction dismantles the classroom as a whole. A research study was done to show how the students who participated very little could cause disorder in the online classroom community and risk online learning. Background Many education programs have become recognizable and...
Words: 1131 - Pages: 5
...CIS 339 Entire Course For more classes visit www.snaptutorial.com CIS 339iLab 1 System Requirements CIS/339 iLab 2 of 7 CIS 339iLab 3 - Structural Modeling - Class Diagram and CRCs CIS 339iLab 4 - Sequence, Communication, and State Diagrams CIS 339iLab 5 - Package Diagrams CIS 339iLab 6 - CRCs, Contracts, and Method Specifications CIS 339iLab 7 - Object-Oriented Application Coding ---------------------------------------------------- CIS 339 iLab 1 System Requirements For more classes visit www.snaptutorial.com L A B O V E R V I E W Scenario and Summary You have been hired by the School of Prosperity (SoP) as a software architect to help the school plan, design, and implement a new online system called the Student Records System (SRS). The Student Records System (SRS), described in the SRS Preliminary Planning Overview document, is the 7-week-long project that you will work on throughout this course. You will be developing UML models and documents for the planning, design, and implementation phases of SRS development. In each week, you will be provided with the information you need to continue to develop your analysis and design UML models and documents for this project. In this very first week, you will develop the System Request document that articulates the business needs and values of the SRS. The Sop school is excited about this project and allowed you to ask them five questions to clarify project issues for you about the SRS project. You are...
Words: 1856 - Pages: 8
...CIS 339 Entire Course (DEVRY) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com CIS 339 iLab 1 System Requirements (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 2 of 7 (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 3 - Structural Modeling - Class Diagram and CRCs (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 4 - Sequence, Communication, and State Diagrams (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 5 - Package Diagrams (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 6 - CRCs, Contracts, and Method Specifications (DEVRY) CIS 339 iLab 7 - Object-Oriented Application Coding (DEVRY) ------------------------------------------------------------------ CIS 339 iLab 3 - Structural Modeling - Class Diagram and CRCs (DEVRY) For more course tutorials visit www.tutorialrank.com As the software architect for the SRS system, you are making good progress in your work. After finishing the Functional Modeling (activity diagram, use case diagram, and use case descriptions) of the SRS system, you are now ready to move on to its Structural Modeling. In this week, you will use the models of your Functional Modeling to determine and design your class diagram and complete a CRC card for each class. The Structural Modeling is very critical for the success of your project since it is the backbone upon which the entire project is built, so take the time to design and refine your class diagram and its corresponding CRC cards. Deliverables Class diagram for the SRS system CRC cards for each class in your class diagram STEP 2: Create the Class Diagram Download the...
Words: 1432 - Pages: 6
..."Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes" In the article titled "Read-only participants; a case for student communication in online classes" impairs the importance of community and communication in online courses. It also discusses the reason students succeed or fail in online classes. To discover the concerns listed above, a study of eight weeks was conducted on students. The study monitored classroom activity as well as communication among students coming from diverse backgrounds. Such examples are geographical location, race, gender and age. The study resulted in both success and failure. Both were discovered and documented. With the results of success the following findings were noted: firstly online courses that had discussions where students and teachers would interact had a positive effect on introverted individuals. In a traditional classroom these students would have participated less but now found a voice in the virtual classroom. Secondly, the skills necessary in an online classroom can improve higher order thinking as well as critical thinking. This was done by the discussion forums and posts that required students to apply and create learned knowledge. Thirdly, a professor that had great involvement with his class became a positive feature by providing encouragement and support through posts. As a result of the instructors involvement students were eager to become more involved in the discussions. In addition to results...
Words: 334 - Pages: 2
...Online Classes versus Traditional Classes Technology and education has given students many choices in how they obtain their education such as online classes. There have been numerous discussions recently about the success of online learning. The success of the online classes versus traditional classes is based upon the uniqueness of each individual way of learning. Online classes and traditional classes provide flexibility, direct communication and course materials. Studies have shown that online classes can be successful and that on average most students perform better than being in a traditional classroom. The argument of online classes and traditional classes; which is better than the other has many exceptional differences. One is the discussion of how does a person learn: is he a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner? A visual leaner needs written materials, exercises and graphics. An auditory learner has to hear it, repeat it and needs to have a discussion. A kinesthetic learner needs real life simulations, hands on demonstration and needs to see how the principle works. Visual learners and kinesthetic learners most likely would be more successful in online courses because of the atmosphere it provides. Auditory learners would need to have traditional classes which would provide the best learning opportunity for their learning style. There are cases that individuals do not know how they learn best; an assessment should be given in the situation. The second...
Words: 953 - Pages: 4
...Summary - Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes Tonia Ray Grand Canyon University: UNV-501 January 30, 2013 Summary - Read-Only Participants: A Case for Student Communication in Online Classes More than ever, online classes are becoming a viable approach and solution for students pursuing undergraduate and secondary degrees. However, the accessibility to these classes does not guarantee all online students are receiving a quality education. Recent studies have shown that as online course enrollment increases, issues with assignment completion, lower quality work, and dropout rates have risen. One study revealed the drop-out rate for online students is 20 to 50% (Nagel, Blignaut, & Cronje, 2009), (as cited in Bernard et al., 2004). In their research, Nagel, Blignaut, and Cronje (2009) like Klemm (1998), Rovani, and Barnum (2003) felt it was essential to be participative in online discussions to be successful in a web-based learning environment. The study also revealed that within the virtual community of learners there exist two types of students that pose a risk to the online learning community, legitimate non-participation and inadvertent non-participation read-only participation. Legitimate non-participation students avoid the stage and are content observing others and contribute little to the success of the group. This type of student does not share personal learning experiences and feeds off group ideas...
Words: 750 - Pages: 3
...participants: a case for student communication in online classes” discussed the importance of communication in online courses as well as the reasons why students succeed or fail in these online courses. To obtain answers to the concerns previously listed, an 8 week study of students in an online class was conducted. This study consisted of monitoring online communication and classroom activity among students with different backgrounds with geographical location and age being two of the main contributing factors. From this study, results of both success and failure were discovered and documented. From the aspect of success, the following results were found: First, classes that had online discussion helped students that would normally be introverts in a traditional class, to be active in discussions. Second, this type of class helped to improve the learning of students by creating questions and answers (in the form of posts) of high critical thinking skills. Third, online discussions that were developed created a community of support and healthy interaction (L. Nagel, et al., 2007). Fourth, the facilitator (professor) that was very interactive with his class became a great asset to the online class because he provided feedback and affirmations to the students through posted replies. Because of the interaction of the facilitator, students became more involved with the class. Results from failures were also documented. One main point was the creation of the “read-only student”. This...
Words: 395 - Pages: 2
