Abstracts
Abstract
Asynchronous online discussion forums (AODFs) are widely used in hybrid and online post-secondary courses to promote collaborative learning and assess students’ knowledge building. This reflective essay explores how AODFs can be effectively designed and implemented as purposeful assessment tools that accommodate diverse students’ needs while enhancing the overall learning experience. Guided by the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, this essay outlines strategies for creating inclusive, accessible, and engaging AODFs that promote meaningful interactions among students and between students and instructors. Drawing on current research and our reflections, the paper demonstrates how the principles of UDL—multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression—can transform AODFs into dynamic spaces for collaboration, reflection, and knowledge co-construction. It concludes with recommendations for aligning assessment design with learning goals and professional practice, emphasizing the importance of formative assessment, workload management, and equitable participation. This paper provides practical strategies for instructors, instructional designers, and anyone involved in developing online and blended learning environments in post-secondary education to design effective AODFs assessments that foster students’ deeper learning and meaningful interactions.
Keywords:
- asynchronous online discussion forums (AODFs),
- assessment,
- instructional strategies,
- instructor involvement,
- universal design for learning (UDL)
Appendices
Bibliography
- Al-Azawei, A., Serenelli, F., & Lundqvist, K. (2016). Universal design for learning (UDL): A content analysis of peer-reviewed journal papers from 2012 to 2015. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 16(3), 39–56. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v16i3.19295
- Alturise, F. (2020). Difficulties in teaching online with Blackboard Learn: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Western Branch Colleges of Qassim University. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(5), 74–81. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0110512
- Andresen, M. A. (2009). Asynchronous discussion forums: Success factors, outcomes, assessments, and limitations. Educational Technology & Society, 12(1), 249–257.
- CAST. (2024). The UDL guidelines, version 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org
- Chen, B., & Huang, T. (2019). It is about timing: Network prestige in asynchronous online discussions. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 35(4), 503–515. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12355
- Cheung, W. S., Hew, K. F., & Ng, C. S. L. (2008). Toward an understanding of why students contribute in asynchronous online discussions. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 38(1), 29–50. https://doi.org/10.2190/EC.38.1.b
- Covelli, B. J. (2017). Online discussion boards: The practice of building community for adult learners. The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 65(2), 139–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2017.1274616
- de Lima, D. P. R., Gerosa, M. A., Conte, T. U., & de M. Netto, J. F. (2019). What to expect, and how to improve online discussion forums: The instructors’ perspective. Journal of Internet Services and Applications, 10(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13174-019-0120-0
- Engeström, Y. (2022). Learning in activity. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3rd ed., pp. 134–155). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108888295.009
- Finnegan, L. A., Miller, K. M., Randolph, K. M., & Bielskus-Barone, K. D. (2019). Supporting student knowledge using formative assessment and Universal Design for Learning expression. The Journal of Special Education Apprenticeship, 8(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.58729/2167-3454.1092
- Fu, E. L. F., Van Aalst, J., & Chan, C. K. K. (2016). Toward a classification of discourse patterns in asynchronous online discussions. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 11(4), 441–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/sl1412-016-9245-3
- Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923640109527071
- Kent, C., Laslo, E., & Rafaeli, S. (2016). Interactivity in online discussions and learning outcomes. Computers & Education, 97, 116–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.03.002
- La, H., Dyjur, P., & Bair, H. (2018). Universal design for learning in higher education. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary. https://taylorinstitute.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/UDL-guide_2018_05_04-final%20(1).pdf
- Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2019). Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351258722
- Lim, J., & Park, J. (2023). Self-study enhances the learning effect of discussions. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 32(3), 455–476. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2023.2185148
- Lin, H., Hong, Z.-R., & Lawrenz, F. (2012). Promoting and scaffolding argumentation through reflective asynchronous discussions. Computers & Education, 59(2), 378–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2012.01.019
- Maddix, M. A. (2012). Generating and facilitating effective online learning through discussion. Christian Education Journal, 9(2), 372–385. https://doi.org/10.1177/073989131200900209
- Miao, J., Chang, J., & Ma, L. (2022). Teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction and social presence: Their impacts on learning engagement in online learning environments. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 183(6), 514–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221325.2022.2094211
- Palmer, S., Holt, D., & Bray, S. (2008). Does the discussion help? The impact of a formally assessed online discussion on final student results. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 847–858. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00780.x
- Pellegrino, J. W. (2022). A learning sciences perspective on the design and use of assessment in education. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3rd ed., pp. 238–258). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108888295.015
- Peters, V. L., & Hewitt, J. (2010). An investigation of student practices in asynchronous computer conferencing courses. Computers & Education, 54(4), 951–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.09.030
- Peterson, A. T., Beymer, P. N., & Putnam, R. T. (2019). Synchronous and asynchronous discussions: Effects on cooperation, belonging, and affect. Online Learning, 22(4), 7–25. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i4.1517
- Rovai, A. P. (2007). Facilitating online discussions effectively. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2006.10.001
- Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2022). Knowledge building and knowledge creation. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3rd ed., pp. 385–405). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108888295.024
- Schellens, T., Van Keer, H., De Wever, B., & Valcke, M. (2007). Scripting by assigning roles: Does it improve knowledge construction in asynchronous discussion groups? International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 2, 225–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-007-9016-2
- Shulman, L. S. (2005). Signature pedagogies in the professions. Daedalus, 134(3), 52–59.
- Stahl, G., Koschmann, T., & Suthers, D. (2022). Computer-supported collaborative learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (3rd ed., pp. 406–427). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108888295.025
- Wang, M., & Zhang, L. J. (2023). Understanding teachers’ online professional learning: A “community of inquiry” perspective on the role of Chinese middle school teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and online learning achievement. Heliyon, 9(6), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16932
- Wise, A. F., Hausknecht, S. N., & Zhao, Y. (2014). Attending to others’ posts in asynchronous discussions: Learners’ online “listening” and its relationship to speaking. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 9(2), 185–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-014-9192-9
- Wise, A. F., Perera, N., Hsiao, Y.-T., Speer, J., & Marbouti, F. (2012). Microanalytic case studies of individual participation patterns in an asynchronous online discussion in an undergraduate blended course. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(2), 108–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.11.007
- Yoon, S. A., Miller, K., Richman, T., Wendel, D., Schoenfeld, I., Anderson, E., & Shim, J. (2020). Encouraging collaboration and building community in online asynchronous professional development: Designing for social capital. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 15(3), 351–371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11412-020-09326-2
- Zhang, J., Takacs, S., Truong L., Smulders, D., & Lee, H. (2021). Assessment design: Perspectives and examples informed by Universal Design for Learning. Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation. Justice Institute of British Columbia. https://blogs.ubc.ca/junsongz/files/2021/06/Assessment-Design-Pespective-and-Examples-Informed-by-UDL.pdf