Neo Qiang Hao, University of Georgia Robert Maribe Branch, University of Georgia

 This study investigates the most important predictors of college students’ online help-seeking behaviors.

 Online help-seeking behaviors ( Puustinen & Rouet, 2009; Cheng & Tsai, 2011 ):  Online searching  Asking teachers online for help  Asking peers online for help

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty Dependent variables:  Online searching  Asking teachers online for help  Asking peers online for help

 203 undergraduate students from University of Georgia  162 novice students  41 expert students

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty Dependent variables:  Online searching  Asking teachers online for help  Asking peers online for help

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty Dependent variables:  Online searching  Asking teachers online for help  Asking peers online for help

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty

Proposed factors:  Age  Gender  Prior knowledge of the learning subject  Learning proficiency level  Academic performance  Epistemological belief  Interests  Problem difficulty Dependent variables:  Online searching  Asking teachers online for help  Asking peers online for help

Cross-Validation for Independent Variable Subset Selection:  10-K Cross-Validation  Training Data (9 sets)  Test Data (1 set)  Mean Squared Errors  1,000 Times

Online Searching:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty

Asking teachers online for help:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty  Gender

Asking peers online for help:  Interest  Problem difficulty

Asking teachers online for help:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty  Gender Online Searching:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty Asking peers online for help:  Interest  Problem difficulty

Asking teachers online for help:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty  Gender Online Searching:  Learning Proficiency Level  Academic Performance  Epistemological Belief  Problem Difficulty Asking peers online for help:  Interest  Problem difficulty

 Learning proficiency level and academic performance are important factors influencing students’ online help seeking.  Novice learners and academically challenged students need more supports to seek help online effectively.

 Cheng, K. H., & Tsai, C. C. (2011).An investigation of Taiwan University students' perceptions of online academic help seeking, and their web- based learning self-efficacy. The Internet and Higher Education, 14(3),  Puustinen, M., & Rouet, J. F. (2009). Learning with new technologies: Help seeking and information searching revisited. Computers & Education, 53(4),