Recently, Asynchronous Online Discussion (AOD) has emerged as a highly valuable educational tool in the academic sphere, enhancing student interaction and the social construction of knowledge.
This study, conducted by a team of researchers from various Spanish universities, aims to explore the implications of message length and timing delays in Moodle forums on academic performance and the influence among first-year Educational Science students.
Through meticulous analysis, including word count and eigenvector centrality (EV), the research seeks to determine if these variables significantly correlate with academic grades and the level of student influence in online discussions.
The main findings suggest a weak correlation between message length and timing delays with academic performance, and a moderate influence among peers. A slight trend was observed towards greater eigenvector centrality in more concise messages and those with longer delays in posting, although not enough evidence was found to infer a significant association.
These results raise questions about the effectiveness of measuring engagement and learning outcomes based solely on the amount of online activity or message length.
The study highlights the need for further research into the dynamics of interaction in educational forums and their real impact on the learning process, suggesting a reevaluation of pedagogical practices in virtual learning environments.
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How to cite: López-Francés, I., Garcia-Garcia, F. J., Gargallo López, B., & Molla-Esparza, C. (2022). Implications of Message Length and Delay in Undergraduate Online Discussions. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 25(2), 259-276. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.25.2.32810