The document summarizes a study that examined interaction patterns and knowledge construction behaviors in the discussion forums of a professional development MOOC. The study analyzed data from 147 students across 4 modules of the MOOC. Results showed that initiation-response pairs were the most common conversation structure and that instructor involvement promoted deeper discussion. In terms of knowledge construction, students primarily shared and compared information, with less activity exploring inconsistencies or co-constructing knowledge collectively. The researchers concluded that MOOC design and facilitation play important roles in fostering discussion and knowledge-building among participants.

1. Jiyae Bong
Vanessa Dennen
Instructional Systems &
Learning Technologies
Presenters AECT Annual Conference
Interaction Patterns and
Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC
November 5, 2015

2. Introduction

3. Research Background
• Asynchronous Online Discussion Activities
• MOOCs
Purpose of the Study
To contribute to the knowledge base on how learners interact and
engage in knowledge construction activities within a PD MOOC
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

4. Research Questions
1. What are the interaction patterns of participants across
the modules of the MOOC?
2. To what degree did participants engage in knowledge
construction activities across each module of MOOC?
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

5. About the MOOC
 Topic: Social Media for Active
Learning
 Length: 4 weeks
 Focus: Professional Development
 Platform: Blackboard CourseSites
 Format:
 Weekly modules, complementary
but not cumulative
 Video lectures , webinars,
discussions, quizzes, assignments
 End of module badges + end of
course certificate
Curation Social Media
Lessons
Personal
Learning
Networks
Privacy & Ethics
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

6. Method

7. Research Design & Participants
• Naturalistic case study
• 147 students, 15 teaching assistants, and one instructor
who actively participated in the discussion activities
through the Blackboard CourseSite.
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4 Total
# of
Threads
6 8 8 5 27
Total Posts 357 260 200 97 914
# of
Speakers
102 58 45 37 242
Table 1. Discussion Forum Format and the Data Set
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

8. Data Collection and Analysis
 Quantitative Data
 Framework for Interaction Patterns
Adapted from Schegloff (2007), Sinclair & Coulthard (1975),
and Wise et al. (2013)
• Conversational Structure
• Initiation – Response Pair
• Initiation – Response – Feedback
• Duration of Each Conversation Unit
• Displayed Order of the Initial Responses
• Speakers’ Membership
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

9. Data Collection and Analysis
Charts for Interaction Patterns
• Conversational Structure
• Duration of Each
Conversation Unit
• Displayed Order of the
Initial Responses
• Speakers’ Membership
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

10. Data Collection and Analysis
 Qualitative Data
 Framework for Knowledge Construction Activities
Adapted from Gunawardena, Lowe, & Anderson (1997)
I. Sharing/ Comparing of Information
II. Exploration of Inconsistency
III. Co-Construction of Knowledge
IV. Applications of Newly-Constructed Meaning
 Frequencies were calculated for each of the codes by
modules & each thread of each module.
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

11. Results

12. Interaction Patterns
• Conversation Structure (# conversation units)
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4
IRs 135 (64%) 87 (62.6%) 56 (51.4%) 35 (63.6%)
IRFs 76 (36.9%) 52 (37.4%) 53 (48.6%) 20 (36.4%)
Total 211 138 108 55
• Duration of Each Conversation Unit (# days)
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4
Average 1.79 1.75 2.19 1.83
IRFs Aver 4.36 3.89 4.10 4.21
Total (C.U.) 211 138 108 55
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

13. Interaction Patterns
• Module 1 – 4 Charts
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

14. Interaction Patterns
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

15. Interaction Patterns
• The most common conversation structure was IR pair.
• The IRF sequences tended to appear at the first part of
each thread.
• Each IRF-type conversation lasted for 4.14 days at
average.
• Most of IRF sequences involved the instructor or
teaching assistants as one discourse partner.
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

16. Knowledge Construction
Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Module 4
I.
Sharing/Comparing
of Information
358
(79.56%)
214
(83.27%)
169
(77.52%)
78
(77.23%)
II.
Exploration of
Inconsistency
39
(8.67%)
16
(6.23%)
3
(1.38%)
4
(3.96%)
III.
Co-Construction of
Knowledge
44
(9.78%)
26
(10.12%)
26
(11.93%)
11
(10.89%)
IV.
Applications of
Newly-Constructed
Meaning
9
(2.00%)
1
(0.39%)
20
(9.17%)
8
(7.92%)
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

17. Discussion

18. Conclusions
• Learners in this context will follow the directions they are
given rather than use learning spaces to initiate their own
discussions.
• Instructor involvement is important to promote deeper
discussion in this setting.
• In terms of knowledge construction, learners will share
their information by showing their agreement to the
information that the others posted and bring the other
examples. But there may not be many activities related to
the summarization of agreements.
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

19. Discussion
• The interaction patterns can help us to understand
whether the MOOC provides the spaces each participant
exchange their ideas.
• There is the needs of building instructional strategies to
facilitate the conversation or discourse for the learning in
MOOC.
• Considering the lack of an omnipresent instructor or
teaching assistant and the scalability of the MOOC
context, the design of learning activities and the
development of technical infrastructure in MOOC
platform are critical.
Interaction Patterns and Knowledge Construction Behaviors
In Discussion Forums of a PD MOOC

20. THANK YOU!
ANY QUESTIONS?
Contact:
Jiyae Bong – jb11ab@my.fsu.edu
Vanessa Dennen - vdennen@fsu.edu - @vdennen