Harnessing AI for Online Interaction Analysis in Higher Education: Enhancing Collaborative Knowledge Building

Abstract

In today’s digital context, online interactions have become a key element of higher education. Discussion forums offer a fertile space for observing how students collaborate and build knowledge together. This study explores these dynamics by analyzing discussion threads from the Moodle platform. Using the principles of conversation analysis, we examined communication patterns and strategies that foster engagement and collaboration. The Tropes software allowed us to identify lexical and semantic tendencies and to visualize recurrent themes through graphs that reveal the sequences most conducive to collaborative learning. To complement this, a questionnaire was designed to capture student perceptions of AI tools and their influence on understanding course content. Early results show that students generally see these tools as motivating and supportive of their participation in online exchanges. This work seeks to highlight how AI can be mobilized to enrich collaborative learning within digital platforms.