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Top1. Introduction
Over the last few decades, the emergence of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their wide application has affected and sometimes transformed educational systems (Chen & Jones, 2007). One of the current technologies in distance education which has emerged due to this transformation is the delivery of courses in the form of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The large number of classmates in MOOCs needs a medium to enable them to interact with each other and with lecturers. This need is fulfilled by means of discussion forums (Dringus & Ellis, 2010). Discussion forums are essential components of an effective online course and provide the main part of asynchronous communication (Mak, Williams, & Mackness, 2010). Asynchronous discussion forums are a common feature of online courses which enable learners and lecturers to communicate with each other regardless of time and distance barriers (Nandi, Hamilton, & Harland, 2012). In this regard, the discussion forum in MOOCs is considered as a communication and learning tool which facilitates learners’ interaction and engagement in its environment (Mak et al., 2010). Through this interaction, members can share and acquire experience and/or knowledge (Harasim, 1993). In other words, knowledge construction can take place in a community of learners and instructors who have social interactions and share their experience and knowledge (Su, Yang, Hwang, & Zhang, 2010). This process is called “collaborative learning”. Discussion forums in MOOCs are a ground for interaction and hypothetically a platform for knowledge construction via collaborative learning.
On the basis of our review on MOOCs, one of the MOOCs issues relates to be a community for knowledge construction purposes (Saadatdoost, Sim, Jafarkarimi, & Mei Hee, 2015). Today, much knowledge sharing and knowledge construction take place in online environments (Cress, Kimmerle, & Hesse, 2009; De Wever, Van Keer, Schellens, & Valcke, 2010; Fang & Chiu, 2010; Fields & Kafai, 2009; Held, Kimmerle, & Cress, 2012). Knowledge sharing is conducted in online forums while knowledge construction happens in a community (Gruender, 1996).