Yee, Michael, et al. "AI-assisted analysis of content, structure, and sentiment in MOOC discussion forums." Frontiers in Education. Vol. 8. Frontiers Media SA, 2023.

This study addresses the challenge of analyzing large-scale discussion forums in online learning by proposing an AI-assisted labeling process using advanced natural language processing. The research demonstrates that transformer-based deep learning models, fine-tuned for category, structure, and emotion classification, outperform traditional models and can significantly reduce manual annotation effort. The study finds that minimal human annotation combined with AI labeling provides reliable insights into forum dynamics, including how various learner demographics and course outcomes influence forum participation and thread resolution.