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Article Summary
The article to be summarized is Read-only Participants: a case for student communication in
online classes by L. Nagel et al. (2009). According to L. Nagel et al. (2009), Read-only
participants, Is the structure of online learning today. Online education is now seen as posting
discussion posts when necessary and having little to no collaboration with classmates. This
article summary Includes how read-only participation came about, and students who are more
visible in the online classroom have a better chance and being successful in the course.
Research Problem and Questions
L. Nagel et al. (2009)
wanted to investigate The relationship between online activity to learning
and course completion. It also investigated how students' community interaction and behavior
were related to success. Questions were made on how read-only participants came about.
Methods
L. Nagel et al. (2009) Presented an eight-week course to master students, and it was online. The
participants ranged from 30 to 50 years old, and was a diverse group geographically. Throughout
the eight weeks, a weekly assignment included an online research topic that they would have to
submit as a discussion collaboration. This would allow their peers to review their assignment
responses. The course also included group assignments, reflection blogs, quizzes, and a reflective
essay. During the eight weeks, the professor also documented observations and provided
feedback on the student's assignments. Additionally, they also use a program called LMS which
will track the student's Activity throughout the course.