Lively Discussions: Using Linking to Enrich Threaded Discourse

Abstract

In recent years, distance education has grown rapidly in popularity. One of the more common instructional strategies in online courses is to provide an asynchronous threaded computer conference, where students can share ideas and discuss course concepts. However, asynchronous discourse is limited in some respects. Over time, threaded discussions can become large and unwieldy, branching off in many different directions. The current research investigates an effort to provide students with a linking tool for drawing together ideas. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research examines two courses in which students used hundreds of links to connect notes in dozens of different threads. The research examines students’ experiences with this tool and the culture of linking that emerged in these courses.