Web-based discussion forums: the staff perspective

Authors:
Judy Sheard;Jan Miller;Sita Ramakrishnan
Affiliations:
Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Venue:
Proceedings of the 8th annual conference on Innovation and technology in computer science education
Year:
2003

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Abstract

Web-based discussion forums are used in a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Monash University. The enthusiastic adoption of these facilities by students has impacted upon staff worklods and recently concerns have been raised by staff about the time and effort required to manage them. Furthermore, it has been difficult to determine the pedagogical value of these facilities and the level of educational support they provide to the teaching and learning community. This paper reports on staff use and management of discussion forums in their courses, and their perceptions of the value of these facilities as a source of help for students and a mechanism to provide feedback to staff. A final outcome of the study will be the establishment of guidelines for staff and students for the effective use of these facilities.