Taking a course at a distance through computer conferencing presents its own rewards and challenges. You will find this learning mode allows you to attend class whenever you wish, day or night, seven days a week. Each time you "join" the "GROUP" you will find that others have responded to your comments and brought up new aspects of topics that you haven't thought about. You can use computer conferencing to synthesize the readings and activities you are involved in while you reflect upon how they apply to your personal and professional world. Also, you are developing new kinds of communication and computer skills through this "electronic network" experience.
However, learning online has its drawbacks, too. Because of its unusual availability, you may find it doesn't easily fit into your schedule as a regular class might. You may discover that it becomes difficult to carry on several conversations simultaneously or that your have difficulty processing all of the information you receive. And, it may be disconcerting to express your opinions in text form only, without having a clear mental picture of who is "listening." Also, you may have difficulty navigating the structure of the computer conference -understanding just where to post your comments, meet with a group, ask questions, and submit your assignment. This section focuses on just those issues.
You must fit the computer conferencing aspect of the course into your busy lifestyle. The weeks we are meeting online are designed to take about the same amount of participation time as you would spend in a normal class meeting. So plan on spending between two and three hours "logged on" every online week, just as you would spend time in class. Also, you must find time to do the readings and assignments outside of this.
The online discussions will be far more enjoyable if you spend that time in three or four sittings during the week. This will allow you to post your opinions and get feedback on ideas, rather that just reading after the fact what everyone else has said. In other words, the online course is more interactive to the extent you frequently read and contribute.
It is a good idea to make at least one contribution each time you are online. Part of your course grade is dependent on active, thoughtful messages in the computer conference. You should plan to make an average of 2 contributions an online week to the discussion, sometimes more or less depending on your interest and familiarity with the topic at hand.
Length isn't particularly important in these notes. Rather, it is how they are a benefit to the current discussion, the richness of their ideas, and the extent to which they "weave" into what others have been saying. The next section contains specific suggestions for communicating.
Here are some tips and advise which will make your experience with a computer mediated course more meaningful and productive.
Should you read all of the "unread" messages before making your comment? Yes! You don't know whether someone has already made your point already. But, you may be worried about how to keep track of the specific note to which you wanted to respond. So, while you are reading, jot down the Note # and general ideas you want to state. Try to determine what hasn't been said yet that you feel is important, or what experience you brings to this topic or task which other class members may not have, or add a synthesis or additional analytical comment advancing the discussion to a deeper level of consideration.
The "threads" of a discussion are sometimes hard to follow, especially if yours or others' comments don't immediately follow the note they reference. Always reference the comment you are responding to. This will allow you and others to go back and use the Message Thread feature of CourseInfor to review a set of replies on one topic.
Computer conferencing implies structured communication, but much confusion results when students contribute notes in the wrong areas. Review the structure of the ITEC 860 computer mediated conference as shown in your overview page in Courseinfo. Remember that there are two major areas that every participant has - a personal are for receiving private email messages, and public areas where all of the discussion occurs in either small groups or large groups. We will use specific topics for our weekly discussion. Generally, if you have questions to ask specific persons (like the instructor) send a personal message. But almost all responses to discussions, course assignments, and readings should be placed within the public area. Consider all existing structures open to change as we determine what best meets our particular learning needs.
Electronic conferencing invites many people to discuss some exciting issue in a way that uniquely evolves and the group synergy of insight on the phenomena is greater that any one personÕs thoughts could be alone. So, an effective message does more than nod agreement to other's comment, and it does it monopolize the conversation with an extended soliloquy. Instead, it adds something, states that author's position, and begs a response. The discussion is like a game of catch: you want to take the ball (conversation) in your turn and pass it along so that others can catch without fumbling.
The typical message should be no more than a screen in length; if it is more than two screens, people will get lost and probably not read further. The key is to limit your contribution to one key idea with supporting points and only one question. If you have more ideas or questions you want ask others, place them each in separate notes. Otherwise you'll confuse the conversation.
Think of online discussions as "chatting-in-writing," not as formal writing. Misspellings, grammatical mistakes, and typographical errors should be forgiven for the sake of creativity, substantive insight, and spontaneity.
However, formal written work online (as well as offline), like for summaries of group discussion or individual presentations, should adhere to academic standards of excellence. It is relatively easy to compose these lengthy, formal contributions, in word processor, spell check it, and then upload it to the GROUP.
Our electronic seminar is a collaborative learning experience. Therefore the mood should be friendly and constructive, yet maintaining diversity of expression and critical disagreement. Because you can't see those with whom you are chatting, some participants may be inclined to write with and icy edge, saying extreme and derogatory statements they wouldn't voice in person. Don't! Also, be aware that dry, sarcastic humor usually depends heavily on voice inflections to carry out, so online the same ideas may be misread or misinterpreted. Mean what you say.
Being entirely text-based, computer conferencing can lose the emotional feel behind messages unless participants intentionally seek to bring it forth. First, share the emotional impact of the material you read, how you feel about it. Second, indicate in your writing the gestures you physically wish to convey, (grin, smile, frown, gulp, sigh, and wink) by including these words within parentheses. You can express anger with various symbols (@!!##..) like in the comics. And, finally, there are a wealth of sideways faces you can add to your writing such as ;-), :-O, or :-( to show a few. (For those who are really intrigued there are whole books written about "faces" in print.!!)
Adapted from materials developed by N. Gadbow and D. Eastmond,
University of Syracuse, 1992
Last modified Friday, January 5, 2007 9:31 PM