Connecting: Adding an affective domain to the information intents theory

• This research examines the nature and dynamics of information intents in an asynchronous online classroom.
• Students exhibited cognitive and affective intents when exchanging information within the online learning environment.
• This research highlights the symbiotic relationship between information behavior and learning.

The information intents theory strives to explain how and why information is used. In this research the theory was used to discover what happens when online LIS graduate students exchange and use information in threaded discussions. The primary source of data was 33 discussion threads, in which students exhibited cognitive and affective intents and were influenced by their instructor's immediacy in the online classroom. This research provides insight for LIS education, instructional design, and other disciplines that utilize distance education technologies.