A Preliminary Study on Knowledge Reconstruction Activity for Fostering Cognitive Presence in Online Discussion

Asynchronous online discussion activity has become a popular form of online collaborative learning (OCL) and has been widely adopted in higher education. In the discussion, learners are expected to effectively co-construct knowledge together through engaging in problem solving discourse. Such an ability to construct and confirm understanding while working together to solve a problem is defined as cognitive presence, which plays a central role in the success of OCL. However, despite various facilitation strategies suggested in prior studies, it is challenging to ensure that learners show sufficient cognitive presence. Providing a preparatory activity that increases engagement with learning materials before participating in the discussion is another strategy that could foster cognitive presence. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of providing two kinds of knowledge reconstruction activities, namely kit-build concept mapping (KBCM) and summary writing, as a discussion preparatory activity. The results show that using KBCM for reconstructing basic knowledge related to discussion topic has a potential to be better for fostering cognitive presence compared to summary writing. The KBCM activity provides opportunities to engage more with basic knowledge related to the discussion topic, to confirm understanding, and to familiarize themselves with common terms or keywords used in the discussion through reconstructing a teacher-created map. Some directions for future studies are discussed.