The significance of metacognitive processes in online learning cannot be overemphasized. This study delves into the application of metacognitive processes as manifested in the active participation of online students within discussion forums. It aims to unravel the correlation between the utilization of metacognition, cognitive presence, and overall course performance, scrutinizing these dynamics across distinct courses and diverse online settings. Employing a robust methodology, we harness data from online discussion forums in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and an online master's program. Through a priori coding technique, we meticulously analyzed a substantial dataset comprising over a thousand forum entries. The study findings indicate that students generally utilize metacognition through active discussion and the application of learning strategies, as well as monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness. Specifically, MOOC students engage in almost all processes of metacognition, while online master's students focus on debugging and monitoring. Notably, a significant positive correlation exists between MOOC students' cognitive presence levels and various metacognitive processes, underscoring the pivotal role of metacognition in developing higher-order thinking and inquiry skills. Furthermore, course performance positively correlates with metacognitive processes across both courses. These findings have implications for designing effective online discussions in MOOCs and online graduate courses, fostering metacognition and critical thinking, and enhancing learning performance.