A Comparative Study of Undergraduate and Postgraduate

Students’Interaction in Learning Management System

Teoh Ai Ping

（Graduate School of Business, University Science Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia）

Abstract:Interaction between learners and online content has been one of the imperative factors in determining the effectiveness of online teaching/learning towards the creation and maintenance of sustainable learning communities. Events in the learning environment often prompt and support the interaction of learners with the online content. An internal dialogue of reflective thought occurs when learner interacts with the content (i.e. the substance). In this paper, a comparative study is conducted to explore whether there is any difference in learners’ interaction in online learning management system (LMS) of undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Based on a framework developed for investigating learners’ interaction with online content in a local open university, data from the LMS log and activity database were extracted. The data were then analyzed to reveal the pattern and behaviour of learners’ interaction with the online content of the courses. The research conducted further analysis by transcribing the discussions and exchanges of teacher and learners within the online forums, by investigating the dimension, depth and category of exchanges occurred. Based on the findings, several recommendations are proposed to enhance the design and delivery of online content, aiming to maximize the efficacy of the online learning environment of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in open distance learning.

Key words: interaction; learning management system (LMS); content analysis; open distance learning

【CLC numbers】G434

【Document code】A

【Article ID】1007-2179(2011)02-0073-08

The Authors:Dr. Teoh Ai Ping, Graduate School of Business, University Science Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia (apteoh@usm.my).

在线学习管理系统中本科生与研究生交互比较研究

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