Using VoiceThread to Facilitate Students’ Engagement and Social Presence in Online Course Discussions

Abstract

Computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) has been included in more and more current online courses as an important part of instructional design (Moisey, Neu, & Clevelandinnes, 2008). Online discussion board is a widely-used CMC tool which allows individuals to communicate and interact with others in online environment (Pena-Shaff & Nicholls, 2004). As most online discussion boards are text-based, typing and writing skills are highly required. Students who are weak in basic computer skills or online writing experience may feel frustrated and may result in low engagement in interacting with other peers (Hew & Cheung, 2013). This study seeks to explore whether the use of a CMC tool can help promote students’ engagement and social presence in online course discussions.