Title: Student experiences with learner-generated online discussion forum: active learning as both participants and content creators

Authors: Deborah B. Smith; Billie Anderson

Addresses: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), 5120 Rockhill Road, Suite 208, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA ' Henry W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC), 5110 Cherry Street, Suite 345, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA

Abstract: This study explored the perceptions and experiences of content creator students enrolled in an undergraduate course in lifespan development. A total of 284 students participated in this study over five semesters. A mixed-methods study design was adopted for data collection, and a thematic analysis of qualitative data was conducted to identify the key themes. The participants identified several themes about why they liked creating content were identified, such as seeing other students' perspectives and autonomy over the learning process, along with several negative aspects of this active learning approach, including having to summarise everyone's responses and unclear directions. These findings can guide other instructors to incorporate active learning online assignments into their existing courses.

Keywords: active learning; student engagement; online discussion; higher education; online learning; learner generated; student content creator; student perceptions; mixed-method design; thematic analysis; reliability measures; chi-square test of association.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2022.130333

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2022 Vol.13 No.4, pp.310 - 322

Received: 20 Dec 2022
Accepted: 28 Dec 2022
Published online: 17 Apr 2023 *

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