Peer-Controlled or Moderated Online Environment ?

Ke Zhang and Kyle L. Peck's paper (2003) could give some interesting insights for teachers considering the use of social learning environments.

"Three conclusions were reached:

1. Groups assigned to moderated forums displayed significantly higher reasoning scores than those in the peer-controlled condition, but the moderation did not affect correctness of solutions.
2. Students in the moderated forums reported being more likely to choose to use an optional online forum for future collaborations.
3. Students who reported having no difficulty during collaboration reported being more likely to choose to use an optional online forum in the future."