Linkage between instructor moderation and student engagement in synchronous computer conferences. Paper presented at the 27 th Annual Meeting of Association for Educational Communications and Technology

Current theories of learning have emphasized the value of dialogue for student engagement and achievement (Cazden, 2001; Bruffee, 1992). Research has also shown that the nature of classroom discourse depends greatly on the teacher (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, W., 2001). These issues are relatively well understood in face-to-face classrooms. However, the advent of online learning has raised more questions about student interaction and the role of teachers in such contexts. We need to develop a better understanding of how teachers can provide effective online mentoring and scaffolding to facilitate student engagement with each other and with their subject matter (Bonk, 2003). Perceptions of online teachers ’ roles in distance education remain quite varied and controversial (Lobel, Neubauer, & Swedburg, 2002). Although online instruction literature increasingly emphasizes the importance of moderation and leadership (Anderson, et al., 2001; Feenberg, 1989), it remains unclear how online moderating are related to student engagement and interaction. The purpose of this research is t