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A Constructivist Look at Interaction and Collaboration via Computer Conferencing
Article

, Texas A&M University, United States ; , University of Southern Colorado, United States ; , Texas A&M University, United States

IJET Volume 4, Number 2, ISSN 1077-9124 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Chesapeake, VA

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Abstract

Computer conferencing has become an increasingly important tool in university course delivery. This study addresses ways in which computer conferencing impacted interaction and collaboration patterns among students and with the instructor in a semester-long graduate course. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, we (a) compared communication and interaction patterns in computer conferencing and face-to-face environments, (b) identified ways that computer conferencing encourages on-line discussion, (c) discovered methods of fostering collaborative learning, and (d) analyzed the instructor's new and expanded role in a constructivist computer conferencing environment. Implications of the study are that computer conferencing offers unique ways of addressing needs of diverse learners through instructional design and design of the physical interface and that disorientation results from information overload.

Citation

Murphy, K.L., Drabier, R. & Epps, M.L. (1998). A Constructivist Look at Interaction and Collaboration via Computer Conferencing. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 4(2), 237-261. Charlottesville, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved August 12, 2024 from .

© 1998 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

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References

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