Promoting Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Threads: Lessons Learned Teaching Economics

26 Pages Posted: 11 Jul 2012

See all articles by Grace Onodipe

Grace Onodipe

Park University Online - College of Distance Learning

M. Femi Ayadi

University of Houston-Clear Lake at the Texas Medical Center

Date Written: July 1, 2012

Abstract

This study investigates factors that promote substantive posts and higher order critical thinking in online discussion. The authors compared weekly discussion threads from two online Principles of Macroeconomics courses taught in 2008 and 2011. The 2008 class was considered a low-structure class while the 2011 class was considered a more structured class. A simple comparison of means indicate that there was an increase in mean substantive posts from 72 percent in 2008 to 89 percent in 2011. There was an increase in the percentage of posts in higher levels of critical thinking from 11 percent in 2008 to 60 percent in 2011. This approach links substantive and quality students’ posts to students’ understanding of the core learning outcomes for the course using Bloom’s taxonomy.

Keywords: Online discussion, Principles of Economics, meaningful posts, Bloom's taxonomy

JEL Classification: A20, A22, A23

Suggested Citation

Onodipe, Grace and Ayadi, M. Femi, Promoting Critical Thinking in Online Discussion Threads: Lessons Learned Teaching Economics (July 1, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2103352 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2103352

Grace Onodipe (Contact Author)

Park University Online - College of Distance Learning ( email )

3133 Mill Grove Terrace
Dacula, GA 30019
United States
404-863-5001 (Phone)
404-393-2045 (Fax)

M. Femi Ayadi

University of Houston-Clear Lake at the Texas Medical Center ( email )

2151 W. Holcombe Boulevard
Suite 120
Houston, TX 77204-0301
United States
832-842-2035 (Phone)
281-226-7335 (Fax)

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