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Summary- Read Only Participants

In: Philosophy and Psychology
Summary- Read Only Participants

A Case for Participation in Online Courses
Tim Colgate
Grand Canyon University: UNV 501
6/25/2012

A Case for Participation in Online Courses
Online computer courses/degrees are becoming more frequent as technology improves and the availability of technology is greater. This article “Read-only participants: a case for student communication in online classes” (Nagel, Blignaut, Cronje 2007) analyzes data from several studies and suggests that active participation, as opposed to non-active participation, is directly correlated to student achievement.
Read-Only Participants
The term Read-only participants refers to online students who log into a specific classroom website, read the material provided or student post’s but do not get actively involved in the discussion. Buedouin (2002) suggested that read-only participants can learn and succeed in an online setting without participating (Nagel, Blinaught, & Cronje, 2007). However research by: Nagel, Blinaught, & Cronje (2007); Klemm (1998); Rovai & Barnum (2003); Swan, Shea, Frederickson, Pickett, & Pelz (2000), indicate that participation is essential to be a successful online student. Read-only students also have the tendency to create a negative environment within an online learning environment, with other having the perception that the read-only student does not care and does not want to contribute. This is extremely evident when they are in a collaborative learning environment and participation in a project by all involved is essential for the group’s success. This perception may not always be accurate as suggested