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Abstract Title: Content analysis of instructor tools for building a learning community
Abstract: This work presents a content analysis of an online discussion forum for introductory physics students. Content analysis is a quantitative method for analyzing text by using a coding scheme and checking inter-rater reliability. We explore the effects of "anchor" tasks, small weekly activities to help students engage with each other. The goal of this analysis was to examine how the distributions of codes are impacted by anchor versus non-anchor tasks, and different types of anchors. This research is significant for physics education research (PER) because there is little PER using content analysis or studying online talk. This is a step towards identifying patterns in conversations between physics students and the tools that may help them have on topic conversations essential for their learning. Identifying such tools can aid instructors in creating effective online learning environments, and this project introduces "anchor" tasks as instructor tools for building a learning community.
Abstract Type: Contributed Poster Presentation
Session Time: Poster Session I
Poster Number: A59
Contributed Paper Record: Contributed Paper Information
Contributed Paper Download: Download Contributed Paper

Author/Organizer Information

Primary Contact: Carissa Myers
Physics Department, Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton, OH 45435
Phone: 9372063823
Co-Author(s)
and Co-Presenter(s)
Dr. Adrienne Traxler
Department of Physics, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH, 45345

Dr. Andrew Gavrin
Department of Physics, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN, 46202