Yellowdig discussion boards as communities of inquiry: The impact of instructor participation on online student discourse
Date
2024-12-14
Authors
Alfoldi, Eva A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of Education for Business
Abstract
The community of inquiry framework examines the interplay between four kinds of presence (teaching, cognitive, social, and learner) to promote effective learning in online education. This paper investigates the impact of instructor participation (IP), a key component of teaching presence, on student discourse in discussion boards with automated grading. A content analysis of 1146 contributions on the Yellowdig discussion platform suggests that high IP enhances cognitive, social, and learner presence, but remains insufficient to deter the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT. Overall, high IP adds considerable value by modeling desirable behaviors, encouraging effort, and promoting more thoughtful online student discourse.
Description
This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Education for Business on 12/14/2024, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2024.2438659.
© 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
This article will be embargoed until 06/14/2026.
Keywords
communities of inquiry, discussion boards, instructor participation, online student discourse, Yellowdig
Citation
Alfoldi, Eva A. 2024. “Yellowdig Discussion Boards as Communities of Inquiry: The Impact of Instructor Participation on Online Student Discourse.” Journal of Education for Business 100 (1): 45–56. doi:10.1080/08832323.2024.2438659.