Action Research on Establishing an Online Learning Community via Online Peer-Teaching

Author: Chien-hsing Wang(Graduate School of Education)

Vol.&No.：Vol. 48, No.1
Date：April 2003
Pages：119-142
DOI：10.6300/JNTNU.2003.48(1).06

Abstract：

The purpose of this study was to explore (1) the educational value of using online peer teaching to establish an online learning community; (2) the problems that might occur during the process of implementation; and (3) the strategies for successful implementation. The methodology used for this investigation was qualitative teacher action research. The research context was the existing course on Instructional Media: those taking the course were the participants in the study. The focus activity of this study was Online Peer Teaching. The lessons learned from the project are as follows.
First, to create a climate for cooperative learning in an online learning community, it is necessary to have active leaders who can effectively use group discussion. Additionally, online teachers should be capable of teaching cooperative skills. Moreover, the capabilities and personal interests of individuals must be taken into serious consideration in the arrangement of groups, in order to maintain their motivation and active engagement.
Second, to cultivate the skills and knowledge needed for active participation in an online learning community, it is suggested that the analysis framework of "teaching presence" be used as a tool to help students self-reflect on their own contributions and the over-all online discussion. In addition, it is advisable to ask students to synthesize their online discussion in order to enhance knowledge construction.
Finally, to enhance intellectual interaction and promote the efficacy of an online learning community, it is better to implement online peer-teaching and peer-evaluation in a distributive manner so that individuals have time to reflect on and revise their written work. Here again the teachers' skill in terms of guiding online discussion is an important element in increasing the efficacy of online learning communities.

Keywords：action research, cooperative learning, online learning, online learning community

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