Text-Based Versus Video Discussion to Promote a Sense of Community: An International Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Creating an engaging online course where students feel part of an online community can be challenging even for the most experienced online educator. Online discussions are a common tool used to connect students in online courses, but it is often limited to text-based posts. This international research study compared the use of text-based versus video-based discussions in online courses to ascertain students’ perceptions of social presence. A mixed-methods design using a modified Social Presence, Likert-scale survey, and open-ended questions was utilized to evaluate students’ perceptions. The results showed that while students preferred text-based to video-based discussions, students perceived more social presence when using video-based discussions.

The effects of video‐driven discussions integrated into the flipped classroom model on learning achievement, practical performance, and higher‐order thinking skills in dental education

“…Most studies have suggested that online discussion environments improve students' learning achievement, engagement, social presence, and HOTS (Aderibigbe, 2021; Murphy et al, 2021). These environments have been utilised to support OL or blended formats such as FC by encouraging a more in‐depth analysis and critical reflection.…”

“…A major concern is the lack of interaction and engagement, especially during the pre‐class activities of FC (Sun & Lin, 2022). To minimise these issues, different discussion methodologies are mainly used in OL (Murphy et al, 2021): text‐based (text responses) and video‐based (video responses) discussions. In addition, there are discussion tools that include several media formats such as voice and pictures.…”