Annotated Bibliography on

“Reflection Using an Online Discussion Forum: Impact on Student Learning and Satisfaction”

Problem questions:
1.      What online communication or social networking strategies might help to engage students in meaningful activities and tasks?
Bye, L., Smith, S., & Rallis, H. (2009) Reflection Using an Online Discussion Forum: Impact on Student Learning and Satisfaction. Education, 28(8), 841-855
             This quasi-experimental study discusses whether students are satisfied and learn more using an online discussion with peers, or a hardcopy reflection with one-time feedback from the facilitator/instructor. A t-test was used to measure the difference between an experimental section and a comparison section of the same course regarding the following: post-course ratings of how well the course objectives had been achieved, what students hoped to gain from the course, satisfaction with the course, and student end-of-the-semester grades.
             I have chosen this quasi-experimental study because it explains how the advent of online asynchronous and synchronous discussion tools creates the potential for students to carry on a reflective dialogue with one another, making reflection an interactive, shared process rather than merely a solitary process, and can potentially facilitate the constructivist method of reflective knowledge acquisition. It also gives me a clear picture of whether the use of asynchronous discussion forums increases communication between students, peers, and the facilitator/instructor.