Identifying Social Presence in Student Discussions on Facebook and Canvas

This study examines student discussion fora in a Master’s programme. Previous student evaluations of the course highlighted the students’ dissatisfaction with the technology chosen for communication and recommended the use of Facebook instead. In this article, we raise the following question: ‘How d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Technology, knowledge and learning knowledge and learning, 2019-12, Vol.24 (4), p.641-657
Main Authors: Johannesen, Monica, Mifsud, Louise, Øgrim, Leikny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Language
College Faculty
Communication
Communication (Thought Transfer)
Computer Mediated Communication
Correlation
Course Descriptions
Course Evaluation
Creativity and Arts Education
Discourse Analysis
Education
Educational Technology
Graduate Students
Group Discussion
Information flow
Information Seeking
Information Technology
Information Transfer
Learner Engagement
Learning and Instruction
Masters Programs
Mathematics Education
Original Research
Science Education
Social Media
Social networks
Social Problems
Student Attitudes
Student Evaluation
Students
Technology assessment
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Summary:This study examines student discussion fora in a Master’s programme. Previous student evaluations of the course highlighted the students’ dissatisfaction with the technology chosen for communication and recommended the use of Facebook instead. In this article, we raise the following question: ‘How do various digital discussion fora engage students in academic discussions?’ The collected data material consists of student evaluation reports and dialogues on Facebook and Canvas. The data were gathered from two courses that used Facebook or Canvas as their primary communication technology. In analysing these interactions, we identified several categories: social issues, academic discussions, practical issues, information flow, teacher information, and crossover discussions. The findings, which address the interplay between the social and the material nature of communication in academic discussions, are analysed from a sociomaterial perspective. Our conclusions indicate that the sociomaterial nature of the various discussion fora influences the students’ social presences, which consequently influence the academic discussions.
ISSN:2211-1662
2211-1670
DOI:10.1007/s10758-018-9362-3