On March 21st, Isabel Fay successfully defended her dissertation, “The Global Discussion Forum: Civic Education in the Age of Digital Communication Media.” The dissertation analyzed three Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) “for their potential in facilitating global civic discussion and learner communities.” She found three types of discussion patterns. As her abstract explains, she found that linear discussions “produce more exclusive, scientific learner communities and advance epistemic understanding.” Additive discussions “produce more inclusive democratic publics that bring learners together through the engagement of brainstorming.” Finally, repetitive discussion patterns were able to “produce activist publics.” After her doctorate is conveyed at graduation in May, Dr. Fay will be employed at Longwood University in Farmville, VA.
