Computer-mediated Communication Tools Research Articles

A Proposed Framework for the Design of a CMC Learning Environment: Facilitating the Emergence of Authenticity

This paper is an attempt to situate CSCL and CMS tools in the context of recent developments in constructivist learning environments (CLEs). The computer-mediated tools for collaboration are an integral part of the design of CLEs. In view of the situated nature of learning, a further distinction in the design of dynamic learning environments (DLEs) is considered and a formulation of learner involvement in the problem authenticity is proposed. The paper attempts to formulate design principles based on CLE and DLE conceptualizations. A prototype has not been developed at this stage of the conceptualizations. CMC tools can be an integrated part of the design of such learning environments and throughout the social construction of knowledge process. Proposition d’un plan pour élaborer un environnement d’apprentissage CMC (computer mediated communication) favorisant l’émergence de l’authenticité. Cet article cherche À situer les outils CSCL et CMS dans le contexte des développements récents dans les environnements d’apprentissage constructivistes (CLEs). Les outils fournis par l’ordinateur pour la collaboration sont une partie intégrale de l’élaboration des CLEs. Au vu de la nature de l’apprentissage, il faut considérer en plus une distinction dans l’élaboration des environnements d’enseignement dynamiques (DLEs) et on propose une formulation de l’implication de l’étudiant dans le problème de l’authenticité. L’article essaie de formuler des principes d’élaboration basés sur les conceptualisations CLE et DLE. Un prototype n’a pas encore été développpé À ce stade des conceptualisations. Les outils CMC peuvent être une partie intégrante de l’élaboration de tels environments pendant la construction sociale du processus de la connaissance. Ein vorgeschlagenes Richtlinienprogramm zur Gestaltung eines CMC Lernumfeldes: Wie lässt sich die Authentizität besser erkennen. Dieser Beitrag ist ein Versuch CSCL und CMS Werkzeuge im Rahmen der neuesten Entwicklung von Constructivist Learning Environments (CLEs) einzuordnen. Die Computer gestützten Programme, die der Zusammenarbeit dienen sind ein wichtiger Bestandteil bei der Programmierung von CLEs. Angesichts der vorgegebenen Lernweise ist eine weitere Unterscheidung bei der Gestaltung der Dynamic Learning Environments (DLEs) notwendig und deshalb wird eine Mitwirkung des Lernenden bei dem Problem der Authentizität vorgeschlagen. Der Beitrag versucht Richtlinien zu erarbeiten, die auf den Konzepten von CLE und DLE beruhen. Ein Prototyp ist in diesem Entwicklungsstadium noch nicht hergestellt. CMC tools kann eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entwicklung solcher learning environments beim gemeinsamen Aufbau des Wissenstandes spielen.

Building a Dynamic Online Learning Community among Adult Learners

This article examines the nature of learning communities constructed among a diverse group of adult learners in an online graduate-level course. The course engages students in both independent and team tasks to complete several project deliverables. The 21 students enrolled in this online course came from across the USA and countries as far away as Hong Kong, Japan, Argentina and Venezuela. Students and their instructor communicated via a variety of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools, including synchronous webcasts and chat sessions and asynchronous e-mail and discussion boards. Discourse artefacts, student profiles, survey responses, and project evaluations were content analysed for evidence of the formation of learning communities, particularly for evidence of three markers: participation, shared identity and the establishment of a social network. This action research also generates pedagogical implications for promoting adult learners' active participation in online learning and instructional strategies to facilitate the community-building process. Construction d’une communauté d’apprentissage en ligne pour des étudiants adultes. Cet article examine la nature des communautés d’apprentissage formées dans un groupe varié d’étudiants adultes dans un cours en ligne de niveau graduate. Le cours engage les étudiants dans des taches À la fois indépendantes et en groupe pour mettre en oeuvre plusieurs projets. Les 21 étudiants inscrits dans ce cours en ligne venaient des Etats Unis et de pays aussi lointaines que Hong Kong, le Japon, l’Argentine et le Venezuela. Les étudiants et leur instructeur communiquaient grÂce À une variété d’outils de computer-mediated communication (CMC), y compris ces contributions synchrones du Web, des séances de chat, des e-mails asynchrones et des sessions de discussion. Les produits des causeries, les profits des étudiants, les réponses aux questionnaires et les évaluations du projet ont donné lieu À des analyses de contenue pour mettre en évidence la formation de ces communautés d’apprentissage, et particulièrement 3 marqueurs: la participation, le partage des identités et l’établissement d’un réseau social. Cette recherche en action engendre aussi des implications pédagogiques pour promouvoir la participation des stratégies d’instruction pour faciliter le processus de construction de la communauté. über die Bildung einer Online Lerngemeinschaft zwischen erwachsenen Lernenden. Dieser Artikel untersucht das Verhalten von Lerngemeinschaften bei unterschiedlichen Lerngruppen von Erwachsenen in einem online Examenskurs. Der Kurs verlangt von den Studenten selbständig und im Team einige vorgegebene Projekte fertigzustellen. Die in diesem online Kurs 21 eingeschriebenen Studenten kamen aus Gegenden quer durch die USA und Ländern wie Hong Kong, Japan, Argentinien und Venezuela. Die Studenten und ihr Lehrer kummunizierten via einer Vielzahl von Computer gestützten Communication Tools (CMC) einschliesslich synchronen webcasts und chat sessions sowie asynchronen e-mails und Diskussionsforen. Arbeitswerkzeuge, Studentenprofile, Prüfung der Antworten, und Projektevaluierungen wurden inhaltsbezogen analysiert um die Formierung von Lerngemeinschaften zu beweisen und im besonderen drei Hauptmerkmale zu belegen: Teilnahme, Mitteilung der Identität und Einrichtung eines gemeinsamen Networks. Diese Studie hatte pädagogische Folgen, nämlich die aktive Teilnahme Erwachsener im online Lernen und bei Unterrichtsstrategien zu fördern, um den Prozess einer Gemeinschaftsbildung zu erleichtern.

An examination of asynchronous communication experiences and perspectives of students in an online course: a case study

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the asynchronous communication perspectives and experiences of undergraduate students in an online course. Interviews with 22 preservice teachers, student-to-instructor email transcripts, asynchronous discussion transcripts, and two independent reviewers' reviews of the asynchronous discussions were used to collect and analyze the data. The results of this study have implications for the effective design of asynchronous communication, and interaction between student and instructor, between student and student, and between student and content. The results inform researchers and practitioners of the factors, strategies and barriers that need to be taken into account, and suggestions for how to overcome barriers when utilizing asynchronous communication tools for learning. A comprehensive understanding of computer-mediated communication tools and student preferences and experiences can contribute to a knowledge base for effective planning and implementation of successful learning.

Electronic office hours: a component of distance learning

This paper describes a technique to blend distance learning with traditional educational methods using Electronic Office Hours. Electronic Office Hours can connect the teacher and students outside the classroom by using existing computer mediated communication tools and techniques. The teacher and students have a choice as to the times and locations of the meetings. Short descriptions are presented along with advantages and disadvantages of each technique. The descriptions are based on the authors’ experiences over a period of 18 years of use in the classroom.

A digital photography framework enabling affective awareness in home communication

By transforming the personal computer into a communication appliance, the Internet has initiated the true home computing revolution. As a result, Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) technologies are increasingly used in domestic settings, and are changing the way people keep in touch with their relatives and friends. This article first looks at how CMC tools are currently used in the home, and points at some of their benefits and limitations. Most of these tools supportexplicit interpersonal communication, by providing a new medium for sustaining conversations. The need for tools supportingimplicit interaction between users, in more natural and effottless ways, is then argued for. The idea of affective awareness is introduced as a general sense of being in touch with one's family and friends. Finally, the KAN-G framework, which enables affective awareness through the exchange of digital photographs, is described. Various components, which make the capture, distribution, observation and annotation of snapshots easy and effortless, are discussed.

Characteristics of Students Related to Computer-Mediated Communications Activity

How do various characteristics of high school students correlate to the amount they use several different computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools? This article describes a study of individual differences among high school students that relate to and predict their use of a suite of CMC tools. The students in the study used e-mail, Usenet news, and a multimedia notebook to support project-based science learning. Findings of the study indicate that skill and experience with computers, parental education, access to computers, and academic self-concept are all reliable predictors of student CMC activity, while such attributes as communication apprehension and sex are related to activity with specific tools. This research provides insight into why some students use CMC tools more than others and provides guidance to those who wish to design or teach in CMC-rich classrooms.

Promoting Collaboration: Using Computer-mediated Communication Tools in the Practicum Course

Promoting Collaboration: Using Computer-mediated Communication Tools in the Practicum Course

The Use of Electronic Mail at the Reference Desk: Impact of a Computer-Mediated Communication Technology on Librarian-Client Interactions

Commonly recognized computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools include virtual environments, bibliographic databases, listservers, newsgroups, group teleconferencing, interactive messaging systems and electronic mail. The use of these technologies in libraries has grown exponentially over the past decade. Electronic mail has emerged as an especially popular communication tool for librarians, and their colleagues and patrons. This paper explores the use of a reference department electronic mail service and its impact on reference services and librarian-client interactions. Several issues related to the implementation of CMC technologies are presented, including the maintenance and monitoring of reference electronic mail systems, the types of questions that are typically posted, and potential barriers to the implementation and use of reference e-mail.

Computer-mediated communication in collaborative educational settings

In educational environments that stress collaboration, the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools can be a source of support as well as a challenge. This paper begins by considering general educational and economic goals and how CMC can be helpful in attaining these goals. A taxonomy of tools for communication and collaboration in education is described. Many sides of the issue are considered, including the roles of teachers and students, problems that can arise and potential solutions, goals and issues of assessment, and software design issues.

ArtView: Transforming Image Databases into Collaborative Learning Spaces

Considering the educational importance of dialogue among students, faculty, and professionals, this article examines a computer-mediated communication tool designed to support online learning through conversation. ArtView, developed by Cornell University's Interactive Multimedia Group, allows groups of learners to converse from disparate locations in a shared space while viewing an image that has been pre-loaded by the instructor. An online database provides a ready-reference, allowing the instructor to customize background or contextual information necessary to supplement the online conversations. This article describes and reports the results of user-testing conducted in conjunction with a college course, “Art in the Electronic Age.” Through qualitative techniques, learners compare and contrast their experiences in a face-to-face guided visit and discussion with a computer-mediated viewing and discussion using ArtView. Museums were seen as providing an attractive element of personal choice and an outstanding physical viewing environment. ArtView lacked these elements and tended to homogenize the artworks with its two-dimensional display limitations. However, most students reported levels of satisfaction with the quality and convenience of the computer-mediated communication (CMC) aspects sufficient to make up for the limitations. The article concludes with suggestions on how educators might augment learning by combining the strengths of the online and museum experiences.