Exploring Students’ Online Learning Interaction Behaviors and Experiences: A Case Study

Chwen Jen Chen; Chee Siong Teh

doi:10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.38

Authors

Chwen Jen Chen Universiti Malaysia Sarawak https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5175-7060
Chee Siong Teh Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.38

Keywords:

online learning, interaction behavior, online learning experience, learning analytics

Abstract

This study chose an undergraduate course offered at a public university in Malaysia as the case to discover students’ unseen online interaction behaviors and experiences in order to obtain insights into ways to devise relevant online pedagogical approaches. The study employed the learning management system’s (LMS) analytics and the analysis of interactions within the social messaging app and virtual live classes to discover students’ online interaction behaviors, focusing mainly on student-content, student-instructor interactions, and student-student interactions. It also employed interviews and a survey to gain insights into students’ online learning experiences. The analysis and reflection of the derived online interaction behaviors and experiences reveal that students require conducive learning environments, regular check-ins on their progress and social-emotional well-being, and favor the learning flexibility afforded by asynchronous learning. It also provides insights into commendable pedagogical practices and reveals some considerations in virtual communication and virtual collaboration to improve students’ online interaction behaviors and experiences.

Author Biographies

Chwen Jen Chen, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Chwen Jen Chen is a professor attached to the faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. She specializes in learning design and technology, and actively leads and participates in various learning technology-related research and development projects. Her recent research focuses on educational data mining and pedagogical partnerships in online learning environments. She serves as the editorial board member of the Asian Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (AJSoTL), published by the National University of Singapore.

Chee Siong Teh, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Chee Siong Teh is an associate professor in the faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. He has taught computer vision, artificial neural networks, computer graphics, computational intelligence and virtual reality courses. His research is mainly in computational intelligence, data visualization, machine learning, and virtual reality and has significantly contributed to developing multi-dimensional reduction and data visualization tools for non-linear data analysis. His recent work focuses on formulating a fuzzy causality discovery technique to afford personalized learning.

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