Evaluating Asynchronous Message Boards to Support Cross-Cultural Communities of High-School Students

Can online forums effectively support collaboration, discussion, and cultural exchange among high-school students from different countries? We present the data resulting from the analysis of a series of asynchronous message boards used within Learning@Europe, a project where students meet in real time in shared 3D virtual environments, and keep in touch between meetings through online forums. Between March 2005 and December 2006 about 5000 students and 250 teachers from 17 European countries took part in Learning@Europe, posting on a total of 194 forums. Focusing mainly on an in-depth analysis of the first L@E implementation (involving about 1000 students and 50 teachers from 6 European countries), we show how forums can support more or less effectively collaboration and discussion tools, what challenges must be faced, and how the tool’s evaluation must take into account the components and set of goals of the entire learning experience.