Asynchronous online discussion: Empirical evidence on quantity and quality

Abstract: This paper investigates the usefulness of asynchronous online discussion. Eight forums from websites developed by the e3Learning Project were examined. The e3Learning Project supports the eLearning development and evaluation needs of teachers at three universities in Hong Kong. Analyses of the quantity and quality of the postings by students were carried out. Results show that students participated quite actively in the forums and contributed substantive ideas. Furthermore, these positive learning outcomes do not seem to correlate with the course level, course subject area, class size, forum nature, and degree of teachers ’ participation in the forum, suggesting that asynchronous online discussion is a useful tool for various teaching and learning styles and for various course designs