To Post or Not to Post, That Is the Discussion: An Exploration of Students’ Perceptions and Experiences with Using Online Collaboration Tools in Threaded Discussion Board Postings

The purpose of this mixed methods action research study was to explore how instructor presence, cognitive presence, and social presence impact students' perceptions and experiences when interacting, communicating, and collaborating in asynchronous discussions and collaborative activities during an introductory-level English literature course at a Southern career college. Online courses can create a sense of isolation due to a lack of student-to-student or student-to-instructor interaction. Discussion forums are a key communication tool to foster interaction in online courses. This action research focused on three questions: (1) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions of instructor presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? (2) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions and experiences of cognitive presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? (3) How does the use of selected collaboration tools impact students’ perceptions and experiences of social presence in asynchronous discussion board forums? Although online discussion forums are commonplace in asynchronous courses, exploring how instructor, cognitive, and social presences impact students’ perceptions and experiences with various online collaboration tools in a career industry course is a new approach to improving students’ participation in asynchronous threaded discussion board forums. This 11-week action research intervention had 24 participants. Students participated in weekly discussions using text (Moodle Discussion Board), audio (Padlet), and video-based (Flipgrid) online collaboration tools. A questionnaire survey adopted from the Community of Inquiry Scales and semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data. The findings were viewed through the theoretical lenses of social constructivism and the community of inquiry frameworks. Quantitative data revealed that many students preferred online collaboration tools that included video support despite lacking experience with online courses and feeling uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the technology. Qualitative data analysis revealed three themes: (1) learning experiences using online collaboration tools in discussion board forums, (2) building a collaborative and supportive community in discussion board forums, and (3) psychological factors in discussion board forum interaction. Recommendations for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.