Date of Award

6-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration

Department

Public Administration

First Reader/Committee Chair

Fudge, Marc

Abstract

Today’s technological age is evolving students away from the traditional classroom model with over three million students exclusively enrolled in online classes (Classes and Careers, 2018) with many online courses attempting to provide an online educational experience that parallels a traditional face to face (f2f) model. Researchers have deduced that there is no significant difference between online and f2f courses.(Johnson et al., 2000; Nguyen, 2015) however, modifications must be made due to the differences in the delivery modes of instruction. Asynchronous online discussion forums can be an effective tool for improving student learning outcomes (Green et al., 2014; Tony Bates, 1997) yet, such an environment decreases opportunities for social interactions (Bullock & Colvin, 2015) and can foster miscommunication in non-verbal subtleties clarified in spoken language (Mongan-Rallis & Shannon, 2006). This proposed research will investigate current literature concerning perceptions of the effectiveness of asynchronous online discussions as a supplement to f2f social interactions. Under the proposed study, a meta-analysis will be executed to synthesize already existing research with aims to evaluate the overall effectiveness and perceptions of asynchronous online threaded discussion forums versus f2f platforms.

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