How and why do students of higher education participate in online seminars?

  • Authors:

  • Stefan Hrastinski;Jimmy Jaldemark

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Media Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, School of Computer Science and Communication, Stockholm, Sweden SE-100 44;Department of Education, Mid-Sweden University, Härnösand, Sweden SE-871 88

  • Venue:
  • Education and Information Technologies
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Online education is continuing to gain popularity in educational institutions and organizations. Hitherto, most research has occurred at aggregated levels, while few researchers have studied how and why individuals participate in online education. It is essential to examine individual perceptions and relationships in order to understand how students behave in relation to others. This paper investigates how students of higher education participate in online seminars and why they participate in certain ways. An online class that attended asynchronous and synchronous online seminars was studied. Electronic logs were used to examine how students participated and interviews were used to illustrate why they participated. It was revealed that the participation of students varied between aspects such as exchanging information, managing tasks and providing social support and the emphasis of these aspects were related to the tool they communicated through. A number of participation inhibitors were identified and it was also suggested how these inhibitors can be addressed.