Impact of Discussion Forums on the Success of Learners in Distance Learning: The Case of ICT Training for Moroccan Teachers
Abdelmajid Tahiri, Ahmida Chikhaoui, Jalal Assermouh Laboratory Interdisciplinary of Researches in Didactics of Sciences and Techniques (LIRDIST) Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz P.O. Box 1796 Atlas 30003, Fez, Morocco, ENS Fez, University Of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah Morocco
Abstract: This article is part of an exploratory study to investigate empirically (N=429) the role of learners’ active participation in discussion forums on their success in in distance learning (DL) through ICT. For this, we have chosen to study two criteria: the number of their connections and their actions on the forum. In this way, we have tried to target the structural and functional aspects of these forums. Thus, we will first highlight the major role of the discussion forum in the success of an ADF on different levels from a literature review. Secondly, we will analyze the scores obtained by learners during a distance in-service training for teachers entitled “Communication in the classroomâ€. We take the “FADEEP†online teaching platform as the field of investigation and target population the Moroccan teachers who have benefited from the said
training. Finally, we conducted a series of interviews with the actors involved in the DL (N=20).
Keywords: Discussion Forum (DF), Distance Learning (DL), In-Service Training, Learner Participation in DF, Tutor Impact of Discussion Forums on the Success of Learners in Distance Learning: The Case of ICT Training for Moroccan Teachers