Abstract :
The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years,
yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in
an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in
acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a
comprehensive, theory-driven metric to assess quality and effectiveness. Based
on an extensive review of the research, the following variables were used to
assess traditional discussion board use: thread, location of message within
thread, author (student vs. educator), subject line clarity, time of posting,
response time from previous message, number of times message was read,
number of words, primary purpose, message quality, difficulty level of topic,
knowledge level, processing level and use of external resources. These variables
proved to be effective in assessing 12 key areas of discussion board use. It is
argued that this kind of metric is essential if we wish to advance our
understanding of online discussion boards for both educators and researchers
