Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives
Abstract Help-seeking is an essential self-regulatory and metacognitive skill. In the online learning environment, much of the learning is self-directed and there are generally less opportunities to receive help in real time. The uses of email and discussion boards are the most common method of seek...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2021-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00253-2 |
| _version_ | 1818440377211813888 |
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| author | Jaclyn Broadbent Jason Lodge |
| author_facet | Jaclyn Broadbent Jason Lodge |
| author_sort | Jaclyn Broadbent |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Help-seeking is an essential self-regulatory and metacognitive skill. In the online learning environment, much of the learning is self-directed and there are generally less opportunities to receive help in real time. The uses of email and discussion boards are the most common method of seeking help in these environments. The current study explored students’ perceptions of the use of live chat technology for online academic help-seeking within higher education, with a focus on comparing online and blended learners’ perspectives. Participants were 246 students who were studying psychology online (n = 91) or in blended learning (n = 155) environments. The live chat technology was well received by both groups, especially for its ability to provide instant, real-time, and convenient help. Live chat was particularly well received by online learners, who were more satisfied, felt more cared about by the teaching team, and would be more likely to recommend it to others than blended learners. Further, online learners reported that live chat gave them better access to staff, and felt that this feature was a good approximation for more traditional face-to-face conversations. As an online, synchronous, private help-seeking tool between student and teacher, these findings provide a strong endorsement for the use of live chat in higher education, particularly for online learners. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T18:11:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae531ef3ce5c47eba9424b3a410b3a41 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2365-9440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T18:11:23Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae531ef3ce5c47eba9424b3a410b3a412022-12-21T22:52:17ZengSpringerOpenInternational Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education2365-94402021-04-0118112010.1186/s41239-021-00253-2Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectivesJaclyn Broadbent0Jason Lodge1School of Psychology, Deakin UniversitySchool of Education, The University of QueenslandAbstract Help-seeking is an essential self-regulatory and metacognitive skill. In the online learning environment, much of the learning is self-directed and there are generally less opportunities to receive help in real time. The uses of email and discussion boards are the most common method of seeking help in these environments. The current study explored students’ perceptions of the use of live chat technology for online academic help-seeking within higher education, with a focus on comparing online and blended learners’ perspectives. Participants were 246 students who were studying psychology online (n = 91) or in blended learning (n = 155) environments. The live chat technology was well received by both groups, especially for its ability to provide instant, real-time, and convenient help. Live chat was particularly well received by online learners, who were more satisfied, felt more cared about by the teaching team, and would be more likely to recommend it to others than blended learners. Further, online learners reported that live chat gave them better access to staff, and felt that this feature was a good approximation for more traditional face-to-face conversations. As an online, synchronous, private help-seeking tool between student and teacher, these findings provide a strong endorsement for the use of live chat in higher education, particularly for online learners.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00253-2Help-seekingLive chatInstant messagingOnline learningBlended learningHigher education |
| spellingShingle | Jaclyn Broadbent Jason Lodge Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education Help-seeking Live chat Instant messaging Online learning Blended learning Higher education |
| title | Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| title_full | Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| title_short | Use of live chat in higher education to support self-regulated help seeking behaviours: a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| title_sort | use of live chat in higher education to support self regulated help seeking behaviours a comparison of online and blended learner perspectives |
| topic | Help-seeking Live chat Instant messaging Online learning Blended learning Higher education |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-021-00253-2 |
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