Abstract

BUIL, Isabel; HERNANDEZ, Blanca; SESE, F. Javier  and  URQUIZU, Pilar. Discussion Forums and Their Benefits for E-Learning: Implications for Effective Use. Innovar [online]. 2012, vol.22, n.43, pp.131-144. ISSN 0121-5051.

This research focuses on the benefits of discussion forums, conceptualized as a means to disseminate and exchange information as well as facilitate communication among community members, in e-learning. Through an empirical application in a university setting, the study describes the introduction of discussion forums in e-learning courses as part of a business degree program, and demonstrates their benefits in terms of improving students' learning performance. In addition, the empirical application examines the most important drivers of forum usage and the results reveal that, beyond the impact of extrinsic-related perceptions, social and personal motivations are important drivers of discussion forum usage in an e-learning context. The study offers practical recommendations to enable educational institutions to more effectively introduce discussion forums in e-learning to enhance student learning performance.

Keywords : Discussion forums; e-learning; ICT; social motivations; personal motivations.

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