Online Chemistry Modules: Interaction and Effective Faculty Facilitation

Recommendations for online facilitation presented here are based upon an on-going study of Physical Chemistry OnLine Modules. This particular piece of research focused on discussion board interactions and effective faculty facilitation—two implementation issues that emerged as the project progressed. The discussion board archives from the "How Hot Is That Flame?" module run during the fall semester of 2000 were analyzed by message type. The discussion boards were then diagramed by message type, and follow-up messages were connected so that threads could be easily distinguished. Each discussion board was also analyzed using a coding scheme derived from the cooperative learning literature to identify collaborative behaviors. Combining the longest thread in a discussion board with the collaborative coding scheme allowed researchers to craft recommendations for effective online facilitation. The data analysis methods contained in the article present new ways for chemical educators to examine electronic interactions.