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In an inquiry-based discussion, learners take responsibility for their learning, create meaning in a group, and learn from the group. In a physical classroom, instructors can model moderator and discussant skills and have learners practice those skills in the presence of the instructor. Using a stop-action approach, instructors can stop the discussion and provide feedback. Learners can then practice the skill and continue with the discussion. In an online environment, instructors may not be able to have a group stop action. Frequent interruptions by the instructor might disrupt the rhythm of the discussion, especially when the discourse occurs in text-based chat rooms. In a synchronous, continually flowing chat space, consideration needs to be given to the difficulty of modeling behaviors. Too much intervention or modeling on the part of the instructor, even in the guise of a student, might disrupt the natural flow of ideas. It may be that the speed and flow of a synchronous chat make it impractical for an instructor to be the only voice of guidance. Learners in chat environments need time to reflect, practice, and receive guidance on effective moves made during their discussions. Coaching, rather than modeling or direct instruction, may be an appropriate intervention for improving learner-led text-based chats. In this article, the authors will first discuss the idea of e-coaching and then describe how academic chats are used in their course. A third section will describe the framework for the e-coaching and feedback process. The article concludes with recommendations for practice derived from the authors' experience with electronic coaching and feedback.

Online learning discussion formats provide an opportunity for learners to share their experiences, negotiate meaning, and take ownership of the subject matter. Chat rooms also provide learners with anyplace and real-time ways to participate in academic discussions. Shared understanding occurs when individual experience mediated through group discourse becomes collective thought that emerges from the exploration and analysis of personal experience, text material, and the construction of ideas from critical group dialogue. Shared understanding is the blending of private thought with public dialogue. Increasing the understanding of how shared meaning develops through computer-mediated, real-time communication may help instructors design and facilitate discussions that lead to higher-order thinking in online inquiry-based environments. In this article the authors will first discuss the framework for using academic text-based chats in their course. A second section will describe the process the learners use to create shared meaning. In the concluding section, they will present recommendations for practice, an outcome of lessons learned from their experience in designing academic chat spaces.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE Based on our experience in designing academic chat spaces, instructors should be aware that learners in a chat room follow a process in order to reach shared understanding. SECTION 4: COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY ARTICLES BY OTHER DISTANCE LEARNING AUTHORS INTRODUCTION Online learning discussion formats provide an opportunity for learners to share their experiences, negotiate meaning, and take ownership of the subject matter. Instructors can caution learners that academic chat is not the same as casual chat, such as instant messaging. In the absence of feedback, learners in the chat room will allocate their time to the social, facilitative, and content statements in a similar way from chat to chat. [Extracted from the article]

If coaching on discussion skills can increase student performance in the discussion, how then might instructors create a safe space for learners to practice and learn the art of discussion in an ongoing discussion-based environment? Continuous coaching and feedback can reinforce the power of learner-led discussions to foster more interdependent learners so they can conduct inquiries together and model collaborative learning. In a physical classroom, instructors can model moderator and discussant skills and have learners practice those skills in the presence of the instructor. We use e-coaching for inquiry-based assignments, and we use tools such as email to provide coaching and feedback to learners who participate in synchronous discussions. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the use of electronic coaching strategies for synchronous discussions in distance education. It explains the concepts of inquiry-based discussion and electronic-coaching. The author also discusses the use of chats in an inquiry-based course, along with suggestions on how to use electronic coaching and chats in online education.

The article presents the experiences of students who take part in online learning chat groups. It is a study which measures the learning performance of group members who unavoidably get involved in mindful and mindless multitasking during online learning chats in the Internet. The results help learners prioritize their activities during text-based chats. In this way, degrees of attention become balanced and the learning performance of online chat groups is maximized.

This article discusses the framework for using academic text-based chats in the courses of college instructors, describes the process learners use to create shared meaning and presents recommendations for practice. It has been found that online discussion boards offer opportunities for individual students to form an understanding of the issues over a period of time. Online discussion boards provide learners the ability to reflect on their thoughts as they type them in a message entry area.