Question-Answer Activities in Synchronous Virtual Classrooms in Terms of Interest and Usefulness

Aydemir M., KURŞUN E., KARAMAN S.

OPEN PRAXIS, vol.8, no.1, pp.9-19, 2016 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 8 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2016
  • Doi Number: 10.5944/openpraxis.8.1.226
  • Journal Name: OPEN PRAXIS
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), EBSCO Education Source, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Directory of Open Access Journals, DIALNET
  • Page Numbers: pp.9-19
  • Keywords: Synchronous communication, virtual classrooms, question-answer activity, synchronous web-based course, videoconferencing, EDUCATION, DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY, STRATEGIES, SUPPORT
  • Ataturk University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Instructors generally convey their face to face habits to synchronous virtual classrooms, but these face to face strategies do not work in these environments. In this sense, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of question type and answer format used in synchronous class implementations on perceived interest and usefulness. To do this, questions were asked in different ways and answers were requested in different formats in synchronous virtual sessions. The participants consisted of 28 postgraduate students registered in an online criminal justice program at a university located in the North-East part of Turkey. Data was collected in the context of a Research Methods in Security Sciences course during 2012-2013 fall semester. Results showed effects of question type on learner interest, while answer format has an effect on usefulness of online activities. In conclusion, to increase interest in synchronous virtual classrooms by asking questions, instead of closed-ended questions, open-ended questions which everybody can answer should be preferred.