An Analysis of Online Interaction Discourse in Knowledge Forum

The case study, based on collaborative knowledge building theory, investigated online interaction characteristics and knowledge building of students who used the knowledge forum (KF) to discuss course-related content. Collected data included the discussion transcripts of a postgraduate course during one semester and students interview records. Content analysis was used to examine student participation and interaction characteristics quantitively, and interview method was used to explore the implications behind the studentspsila interaction performance. Results showed that students engaged in a collaborative learning process was mainly characterized by cognitive, social and teaching presence, and the effectiveness of collaborative learning was chiefly affected by the organization of learning activities, teacher's guidance, as well as supporting learning platform.