Quiet participation: Investigating non-posting activities in online learning

Abstract

Despite the growth in online learning offerings in K-12 and higher education, limited research has been undertaken to better understand less visible online learning activities. Reading and rereading are not typically valued as important indicators of learning since the number or frequency of entries, words, or key phrases are usually visible and easily tracked. This article reports on a mixedmethods study addressing the reading, writing, and revisiting activities of graduate students attending one of eight online graduate courses taking place over a four-year period. Students were grouped by clusters of reading and writing activities to identify patterns related to rereading. Participant perceptions of the value of rereading entries in online learning are discussed. The findings highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the different roles reading and rereading play in online learning discussions. This research informs our understanding of the importance of non-posting behaviors to student learning. Instructionally, these results may encourage the valuing of different “paths” to online learning success beyond the criterion of written entries.