Engagement in Mathematics MOOC Forums

The research focuses on mathematics MOOC discussion forums, how affective instances emerge from written interactions and how they can be measured. Interactionist research, as well as the intertwining of affective and cognitive components in students’ interactions, represents the theoretical background of our investigations. In particular, we refer to engagement as the main affective element in discussion forums. The affective lens is paired with network analysis to examine how and to what extent forums may represent an occasion for a deeper understanding of mathematics for the students. This paper reports on a pilot phase of the research and considers two examples of discussion forums that involved around ten students each. The findings from a small scale analysis serve as a basis for first, general conclusions.