Computer science students’ attitudes towards the use of structured and unstructured discussion forums in fully online courses

Abstract

This study aims to investigate and analyze the attitudes and opinions of computer science students at two academic colleges of education with regards to the use of structured and unstructured discussion forums in computer science courses conducted entirely online. Fifty-two students participated in two online courses. The students in each course were divided into two groups: the experimental group, which participated in a structured discussion forum, and the control group, which participated in an unstructured discussion forum. The questionnaire used for data collection consisted of closed and open-ended questions. The results revealed that the attitudes towards the use of discussion forums of students who participated in the structured discussion forum were positive compared to the attitudes of students who participated in the unstructured discussion forum. Based on the results of the study, the researcher suggests some appropriate recommendations.