Analyzing Learning Analytics in a Knowledge Forum: Examining Patterns of Interaction in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning

Education needs to prepare learners for sustained, collaborative, and creative work with the knowledge that is essential to 21st-century society. Helping learners develop competencies in collaborative inquiry and knowledge building is crucial. The processes of knowledge building and interaction of learners in the Knowledge Forum (KF) are investigated. This study investigates the patterns of interaction in Knowledge Forum. In KF, the learners’ interaction can be measured and analyzed using embedded Analytic Toolkit tools. Various quantitative measures, such as the number of notes read, revised, and created, as well as the number of keywords created and KF scaffolds used, are calculated to provide overall patterns of learner interaction in KF. The study involved 24 postgraduate learners who were enrolled in a course at a public university in Malaysia. KF was integrated into the course for a duration of 14 weeks as a mandatory component. The findings of the study reveal a consistent increase in various Analytic Toolkit indices throughout the instructional period, indicating that the course, which incorporated KF, positively influenced learner interaction and learning. These findings have implications for the design of KF integrated with Analytic Toolkit tools in the context of 21st century classrooms and the needs of contemporary learners.