Assessing Online Asynchronous Discussion in Online Courses: An Empirical Study

Abstract

Online asynchronous discussion is argued to have many benefits for student learning. However, whether student participation in the asynchronous discussion should be assessed is controversial. Furthermore, how to assess their participation has been a huge challenge faced by many online instructors. While there is a growing body of literature addressing these issues, there is still a lack of empirical studies in this regard. This paper reported the results of a recent empirical study conducted at a large, public, Midwestern university. Fifty online courses offered by five different Masters’ programs were examined and twenty instructors were interviewed. Major research questions included: How was the online discussion organized in the courses examined? How did the instructors grade the discussion? Why did they make certain decisions on these issues, such as what their rationales, considerations, and concerns were?