International Journal of Educational Telecommunications

Volume 3, Number 1 1997

Contents

Computer Conferencing and the On-Line Classroom

Zane L. Berge 3

Creating Asynchronous Learning Networks in Mathematics, Science,

and Engineering Courses for Home-Based Learners

    John Sener 23

Asynchronous Interaction Method for a Remote

Teleteaching Session

Lassaâd Gannoun, Philippe Dubois, and Jacques Labetoulle 41

Building Partnerships Between Preservice and Inservice Teachers:

A Project Facilitated by Interactive Videoconferencing

Lauren Cifuentes, Stephen Sivo, and Tom Reynolds 61

Analysis of Feedback From an "Authentic" Outside-The-Classroom Audience on High School Fiction Writing:Validation of a Theoretical Model

Nathan Bos and UMDL Teaching and Learning Group 83

Abstracts

Computer Conferencing and the On-Line Classroom

ZANE L. BERGE

The union of telecommunication technologies and computer networks has given us new tools to support teaching and learning. Taken together, these tools can be used for computer-mediated communication (CMC) (Bates, 1995). Santoro (1995) lists three categories of CMC: computer conferencing, informatics, and computer-assisted instruction. Within computer conferencing, he identifies three types: electronic mail (email), group conferencing systems, and interactive messaging systems. The aim of most educators who design the use of computer conferencing environments is "not merely to duplicate the characteristics and effectiveness of the face-to-face class. Rather it is to use the powers of the computer to do better than what normally occurs in the face-to-face class" (Turoff, 1995). This paper summarizes the characteristics and advantages of computer conferencing systems. Following that, some of the more significant characteristics of computer conferencing are linked with corresponding advantages for teaching and learning.

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Creating Asynchronous Learning Networks in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Courses for Home-Based Learners

JOHN SENER

Northern Virginia Community College's (NVCC) Extended Learning Institute (ELI) and faculty at NVCC's Annandale campus are developing distance education engineering, mathematics, chemistry, and physics courses leading to an associate in science engineering degree. Incorporating asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) into course design enables the development of courses that integrate interaction and collaboration with self-paced, independent modes of learning. Developing such a program for home-based community college students presents a number of significant challenges, such as balancing student access with technology use, developing effective physical science and engineering laboratory activities, transmitting graphical content, demonstrating problem-solving processes, developing faculty competence without requiring universal expertise, and assuring portability of courses to other interested institutions. Current ALN development emphasizes providing access to other learning participants (faculty, tutors, peers) as resources by designing interactive and collaborative learning activities. Planned ALN development will emphasize providing access to remote resources such as graphics libraries, instructional and training "movies," and World Wide Web sites. Initial project results include achieving completion and grade distribution rates comparable to on-campus course offerings. The complete degree program is scheduled to be offered starting in the fall semester of 1997.

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Asynchronous Interaction Method for a Remote Teleteaching Session

LASSAÂD GANNOUN, PHILIPPE DUBOIS, AND

JACQUES LABETOULLE

We present a method for an asynchronous interaction during a remote teleteaching session. In a synchronous teleteaching session, the professor can view the work of students and then correct it. This is provided by an application sharing window. An application sharing window allows collaboration-transparent, single-user application to be displayed and allows interaction with multiple users' workstations. However, the functionalities of an application sharing window are limited to a synchronous interaction session. In this paper, an efficient method that is a fundamental step toward an asynchronous application sharing is described. This method provides two application services. The first service allows a student to record his/her X-application session and to make comments on it. The second service enables a remote professor to replay the student's X-application session. These services are used to build an efficient asynchronous interaction between a professor and a student. This interaction is supported by a symmetric architecture based on World Wide Web (WWW) mechanisms.

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Building Partnerships Between Preservice and Inservice Teachers: A Project Facilitated by Interactive Videoconferencing

LAUREN CIFUENTES

STEPHEN SIVO

TOM REYNOLDS

In this study we describe participants' reactions to a school/university partnership facilitated by two-way, interactive video and identify variables that promote and/or limit such partnerships. Preservice and inservice teachers designed, developed, and evaluated instruction as a virtual field-based experience. Participants were 141 preservice teachers in an educational technology course and 11 school faculty. Qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed that the partnership proved to be rewarding; partners learned; people, collaborative processes, and technology made the partnership work; whereas time, lack of skill, interest, goal clarity, and frustration with undependable technology limited the partnership. Survey data indicated the importance of several considerations when designing virtual school/university partnerships: (a) attend to personal goals, (b) allow participants to pursue topics that interest them, (c) assure that all partners benefit, (d) provide for reflection upon effects of the partnership, and (e) clarify goals and roles of stakeholders.

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Analysis of Feedback From an "Authentic" Outside-The-Classroom Audience on High School Fiction Writing: Validation of a Theoretical Model

NATHAN BOS AND UMDL TEACHING AND LEARNING GROUP

Students can develop writing skills and a sense of audience by publishing their work on the World Wide Web and receiving feedback from outside readers. This paper is both a theoretical test of a model for analyzing these outside-the-classroom audiences and a description of a project in which this model was successfully used. The model for authentic audiences has four important dimensions: the knowledge level of the audience, the role of the audience with regard to the information given, the relationship between the audience and authors, and the amount and nature of feedback from the audience to the authors. In a study of student publishing on the WWW for an outside audience, 12 ninth-grade students in an interdisciplinary studies class published fictional short stories set in Africa and received feedback via the Internet from natives or former residents of the three African focal countries. In this paper, we analyze the comments, critiques, and suggestions sent from these readers to the students according to our four-category theoretical model of authentic audiences.
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