Online question & answer (Q & A) is a distinctive type of online interaction that is impactful on student learning. Prior studies on online interaction in large-scale classes mainly focused on online discussion and were conducted mainly in non-STEM fields. This research aims to quantify the effects of online Q & A interactions on student performance in the context of STEM education. 218 computer science students from a large university in the southeastern United States participated in this research. Data of four online Q & A activities was mined from the online Q & A forum for the course, including three student activities (asking questions, answering questions and viewing questions/answers) and one instructor activity (answering questions/providing clarifications). These activities were found to have different effects on student performance. Viewing questions/answers was found to have the greatest effect, while interaction with instructors showed minimum effects. This research fills the gap of lacking research in online Q & A, and the results of this research can inform the effective usage of online Q & A in large-scale STEM courses.

中文翻译：

---

了解在线问答互动及其对大规模 STEM 课程中学生表现的影响

在线问答 (Q & A) 是一种独特的在线互动方式，对学生的学习有影响。以往关于大型课堂在线互动的研究主要集中在在线讨论上，并且主要在非 STEM 领域进行。本研究旨在量化在线问答互动对 STEM 教育背景下学生表现的影响。来自美国东南部一所大型大学的 218 名计算机科学专业的学生参与了这项研究。四个在线问答活动的数据是从课程的在线问答论坛中挖掘出来的，包括三个学生活动（提问、回答问题和查看问题/答案）和一个讲师活动（回答问题/提供澄清）。这些活动被发现对学生的表现有不同的影响。发现查看问题/答案的效果最大，而与讲师的互动效果最小。本研究填补了在线问答研究的空白，本研究的结果可以为在线问答在大规模STEM课程中的有效使用提供信息。