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Assessing Online Collaborative Discourse
Author(s) -
Breen Henny
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/nuf.12091
Subject(s) - collaborative learning , asynchronous communication , interpersonal communication , psychology , social skills , online discussion , nursing theory , process (computing) , cooperative learning , cognition , qualitative research , computer science , mathematics education , teaching method , medline , world wide web , social psychology , sociology , computer network , social science , neuroscience , political science , law , psychotherapist , operating system
Purpose This qualitative study using transcript analysis was undertaken to clarify the value of H arasim's O nline C ollaborative L earning T heory as a way to assess the collaborative process within nursing education. The theory incorporated three phases: (a) idea generating; (b) idea organizing; and (c) intellectual convergence. Method The transcripts of asynchronous discussions from a 2‐week module about disaster nursing using a virtual community were analyzed and formed the data for this study. Findings This study supports the use of O nline C ollaborative L earning T heory as a framework for assessing online collaborative discourse. Individual or group outcomes were required for the students to move through all three phases of the theory. Discussion/Conclusion The phases of the O nline C ollaborative L earning T heory could be used to evaluate the student's ability to collaborate. It is recommended that group process skills, which have more to do with interpersonal skills, be evaluated separately from collaborative learning, which has more to do with cognitive skills. Both are required for practicing nurses. When evaluated separately, the student learning needs are more clearly delineated.Breen