What Research Says About Online Learning

What Research Says About Online Learning

Introduction

Online learning is growing increasingly important because it enhances learning among people who are in the distance. The effectiveness of asynchronous learning depends on the experience of students to apply the learning method. Further, universities that are well-equipped with relevant materials to enhance online learning (Gulnara & Carla, 2019). Researchers argue that discussion boards allow systematic equipping of skills to the learners and therefore serving as an effective way of gaining knowledge. The purpose of this article is to discuss what research says about online learning. The report will explore the literature of various researchers and how it supports the idea of online studies.

Discussion boards and online learning

The article of educational technology depicts that discussion boards are the heart of online learning. These boards create a friendly environment that supports distance learning among various learners and instructors. The instructor posts a discussion question in which learners have a requirement of discussing it in their level of understanding through the provision of feedback. Consequently, their peers have the role of reading the responses and replying to them (Ilene et al., 2015). The boards reduce face-to-face interaction but create a supportive environment for discussion. Beomkyu supports the idea of discussion boards by arguing that they are a recommendable strategy for online learning. Using the article on how people learn, the author explores that a discussion board is a technological tool that allows students to make online discussions and comments. The feature in these boards that will enable students to make response makes the board a vital tool for online learning. The arguments in the two articles support the boards to be the heart of online studies (Beomkyu, 2016).

Interculturality in online learning articles denotes that the medium serves as the most significant part of the success of online learning. The medium evident in these studies is the discussion board (Gulnara & Carla, 2019). The success in instruction will thus depend on the effectiveness of the discussion board.

Fostering experience in online studies

Sadykova argues that the use of a good platform will enable students to interchange experiences from various countries (Gulnara & Carla, 2019). For instance, the Chinese students will interchange their skills with those in the US. The continuous exchange of experiences improves skills and the understanding of various environments by such students. The article of how people learn in an asynchronous online learning environment champions the idea of online learning to increase metacognitive strategy (Beomkyu, 2016). The paper argues that various learners make crucial discussions that improve the learning skills of their peers. The learning environment thus plays a significant role in enhancing the skills of learners. The journal of educational technology argues that the website integrates students to create a high-quality exchange of ideas (Gulnara & Carla, 2019).  Generally, online learning helps students from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and thus enhancing effectiveness.

Role of the instructor in asynchronous learning

Ilene argues that the Instructor-learner relationship is vital for the success of online education by the use of discussion boards. The instructor is crucial to providing the relevant discussion questions and guidelines to learners (Ilene et al., 2015). The effectiveness of instructions aid students to discuss and deliver appropriate replies. The article further argues that an excellent discussion question helps learner’s skills to grow continuously through the gaining of experience from others. The sharing of information across various environments by learners in the same environment fosters creativity. The reliable online platform that comes in the form of discussion boards comes as a result of the instructor’s guidelines.

The arguments in how people learn in an asynchronous environment denote that the discussion board enhances student interrelationship as well as that of the instructor (Beomkyu, 2016). The instructor is an essential figure in student participation through the provision of guidelines. The author argues that the instructor monitors the student involvement and therefore helping in the success of asynchronous online learning. The environment requires constant monitoring since the learners are strictly confined. Interculturality article in online learning further clarifies the role of the instructor to make discussion board effective. The author argues that the instructor mediates the process of exchange of knowledge among various learners to make learning effective (Gulnara & Carla, 2019) The author denotes that lack of effective mediation by the instructor may lead to failure of online learning.

Conclusion

The discussion board is the heart of asynchronous online learning. This platform helps learners to post a response as others respond appropriately. The effectiveness of the discussion board dictates the failure or success of online learning. This online website allows students from diverse geographical areas to discuss a similar idea and therefore exposing an array of tactics. Research finds online learning to be significant for learners who are distributed in various nations and states. An instructor has a critical role in mediating to ensure that the teaching-learning process is useful to all learners. An excellent online platform will thus involve the directions from the instructor.

References

Beomkyu, C. (2016). How People Learn in An Asynchronous Online Environment: The

Relationship Between Graduate Students’ Learning Strategies and Learning Satisfaction. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. V42

Ilene, R., Schubert, C., Jack,  D., Jimmie, F., Jill, F., & Robert, L. (2015). Improving the

Asynchronous Environment Using Discussion Boards. Journal of Educational

Technology.

Gulnara, S., & Carla, M. (2019). Interculturality in Online Learning: Instructor and Student

Accommodations. Online Learning.