Discussion Forum Instructional Design and Organization for Sustainable Professional Development in Online Communities of Practice

Abstract

This paper explores the instructional design and organization of discussion forums within four online Communities of Practice for the professional development of EFL teachers in Greece. Grounded in the theory of situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991), these communities are established as sustainable models for effective teacher development. Employing mixed methods, the research examines variations among the communities’ designs to draw conclusions. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were first analyzed to identify principles that promoted active participation, influencing the overall organization of the communities. Teachers’ post-participation questionnaires then gauged perceived learning and effectiveness. Discussion forum transcripts were also analyzed to assess the coordinators’ instructional design and organization discourse. Finally, this content analysis was compared with the findings of the survey research for the final findings report. The findings advance the current understanding of effective instructional design and organization for sustainable discussion forum teacher education. They validate the framework’s effectiveness and identify key principles for success: a well-defined forum structure, integrated synchronous meetings, consistent rhythm, adherence to netiquette, and robust instructional design and organization discussion forum discourse. These elements contribute to vibrant online communities reporting perceived learning and effective teacher professional development.