Discussion Board Analysis

Dealing with the delivery and processing of information in a learning environment/classroom is always a challenge, given the different methods of communication, engagement, as well as the variety of personalities that inhibit a classroom. However, technology works to change how we communicate, as we have researched in this class, and the introduction of Blackboard creates an environment that allows for asynchronous communication between students, in response to the instructor, and between instructor and student. This connection, an "always on" access to discussion and class material, provides a different type of participation than the traditional live classroom, and presents its own challenges. Being 100% online during my time at UIS, I have taken fourteen classes since 2011 and had a variety of experiences with Blackboard and interaction with fellow students.

To begin, one of the positives of Blackboard is the ability to continue a conversation well beyond traditional classroom bounds, and this class is no different. Taking a random sampling of posts in our class this semester, (Week #2 Session 4 DQ 4-4 was a particularly good example) the variety in timing of posts and responses is all across the board, well outside of "traditional" classroom hours. However across the board they are on a subjective and individual basis, there is a trend towards afternoon hours in central time, as shown in graph 1 below: Looking at another sample later in the semester, during Week 6 we see a similar distribution in the mid-afternoon hours: This seems to nullify the benefit of "always on" connection, as most students are using Blackboard in particular places, except for the fact that many students - 20% of undergraduates in 2011, in fact( US Census) work full-time, year round jobs, stripping away the availability to post (or attend traditional) classes during the morning and