Free, open, online, mathematics help forums: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Abstract

Free, open, online, help forums link students with volunteer helpers who have the time, knowledge, and willingness to provide assistance with specific problems from coursework. Some forums endorse a select learning theory, whereas others do not espouse any one approach. This study shows how student activity differs in a forum that supports Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and one that does not embrace the practice of any single learning theory. A sample of 100 exchanges on the calculus concept of limit were collected from the archives of a forum of each type and compared for student contributions to the construction of the solution and student initiative in expressing resolution. The results show that the forum supporting CLT evidences lower levels of student activity (both initially and following helper intervention), and favors weak over strong expressions of resolution. The designation of the good, bad, and ugly depends on the reader's epistemological stance.