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Learning objectives for this lesson:
- explore the potential use of
communication tools in online environments
- discuss the advantages and
disadvantages of communication tools
E-mail
In online courses, faculty and students communicate more frequently through
e-mail. If the course is delivered via a course management system (CMS) such as
Blackboard and Desire to Learn, it is advisable that faculty inform the class to
use the internal e-mail function within the CMS. Using a CMS e-mail system can
be particularly helpful in a few ways. First, whereas traditional students' e-mail
accounts can be found on the campus Web page, nontraditional adult students
often use an alternative e-mail address which is hard to find. Second, by simply
going to the e-mail area in a CMS, faculty and students can e-mail the entire
class or selected members. Third, some CMS e-mail systems automatically
save a copy of ongoing message in case miscommunication arises between faculty
and students in the future and a previously sent e-mail needs to be retrieved.
To ensure that students' e-mails are replied to in time, faculty may set up e-mail
rules for their online courses. For example, faculty can require that any
incoming message includes the same subject line such as EDTC 3123-F06. They can
also set up a course folder where any incoming message with the stated subject
line will automatically be filed.
Chat Room
In synchronous chat (real-time chat), it is quite common that when a group of
students submit responses, ask questions, and express opinions simultaneously,
class discussions become a free-for-all, shallow treatment of multiple topics (Wijekumar,
2005). Such shallow treatment can occur due to the fact that chat rooms do not
have the advantage of face-to-face conversations, in which students make eye
contact and wait their turn to speak. Consequently, students typically must sort
through many postings in order to sequence them and make sense of the
discussion.
Faculty can use different approaches in chat rooms to ensure that the
discussion flows in a meaningful pattern. For example, some faculty
use a round-robin approach. Specifically, a faculty member can provide a chat
outline to students in advance. Students are encouraged to prepare their
questions and answers in a Word document prior to class. During the discussion
in the chat room, students can copy and paste their comments, with little
modifications, into a chat applet. In this way, students can concentrate on
reading rather than typing and an elaborated discussion can be facilitated.
Another approach, which is also used by some faculty, involves having (very)
small groups to communicate within the groups prior to chatting with their
instructor at a different time. The approach can help ensure that each student
has a chance to participate. In these instances, advance preparation for the
chat room is the key for a worthwhile discussion.
Video Conferencing
Video conferencing
technology allows people at two or more locations to see and hear each other at
the same time. Major advantages of using video conferencing in distance
education include both the use of audio and video communications, which
resembles a face-to-face class. In this way, faculty and students can see facial
expressions and body language, adding personalities to communication and
enabling high levels of interaction. With
this understanding, some may consider video conferencing the "next best
thing to being there."
However, video conferencing is not without
its disadvantages. First, for geographically distributed students, they may not have
access to equipments of video conferencing. Second, the use of video
conferencing technology requires a great deal of planning and preparation. To be
effective, the camera crews and the instructor must practice and become a team.
Lastly, it usually requires an on-site technical support team due to the
complexity of video recording, mixing, and transmission. In addition, site
facilitators are also necessary to ensure the equipment works properly at the
receiving sites.
Instant Messaging (IM)
Similar to the Chat Room, instant messaging
(IM) is another form of online communication that allows real-time interaction
through computers or mobile devices. Although typed text still remains the
primary format for IM, current technology allows users to send images, audio and
video files, and other attachments.
In a 2002 survey at Mount Saint Vincent
University, fifty-five (57%) of 439 students used IM to communicate academic
issues, many of whom used it on a daily basis. From a teaching and learning perspective,
students who use IM may like this particular piece of media for two reasons.
First, they feel connected with peers and faculty, and some users have found
that IM facilitates semiformal distance relationships that are difficult to
create through other media. Second, IM epitomizes the notion of the
always-connected, multitasking students, allowing them to send and receive
messages at all hours while doing several other things at the same time. In many
ways, IM offers faculty and students a new mode of communication beyond e-mail,
often for relatively low cost and without significant overhead for IT
infrastructure. In a 2002 survey at Mount Saint Vincent University, fifty-five
(57%) of 439 students used IM to communicate academic issues, many of whom used
it on a daily basis. The flip side of the IM, however, is that IM can
be as powerful as harmful. Some students can get distracted by non-academic
topics and never get their work done. In addition,
using IM can add more time to faculty
workload and increase the growing expectation of ubiquitous instructor
access.
References
Wijekumar, K. (2005).
Creating effective
Web-based learning environments: Relevant research and practice.
Innovate, 1(5).
Instant Messaging – Collaborative Tool or Educator’s nightmare!
from Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada
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