scholarly journals Online collaboration and offline interaction between students using asynchronous tools in blended learning

Author(s):  
Mei-jung Wang

<span>The increasing use of innovative blended learning strategies which incorporate online discussion into the classroom requires the examination of asynchronous, computer mediated communication (ACMC) to fully understand the learners' total engagement and the contribution of such ICT tools to student learning. This study analysed students' online utterances and offline interactions, to determine the extent of collaborative learning among students from two colleges. Results show that behaviours that characterise successful collaborative learning in an asynchronous networked environment were present, but the patterns were different from previous studies. The implementation of ICT tools in blended learning does promote social interaction among students and their engagement; however, it does not automatically facilitate students in their adoption of active learning strategies. The offline atmosphere in carrying out the ACMC activities were sorted into five major categories: struggling with platform operations, handling technical problems, passive attitudes towards the procedure, tense atmosphere in class, and engagement in tasks. Based on the findings, some pedagogical implications are presented.</span>

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric R. Wright ◽  
Anthony H. Lawson

Over the past several years, scholars of teaching and learning have demonstrated the potential of collaborative learning strategies for improving student learning. This paper examines the use of computer-mediated communication to promote collaborative student learning in large introductory sociology courses. Specifically, we summarize a project we conducted during the 2000-2001 academic year in which we added online collaborative learning activities to the curriculum of two large sections of introductory sociology. Drawing on Novak et al.'s (1999) Just-In-Time Teaching methods, we developed online activities to help prepare students for subsequent in-class work and to cultivate a sense of group solidarity among smaller teams within the larger class. The results suggest that student engagement in the online group learning activities was strongly predictive of better student academic achievement on the biweekly quizzes, cumulative final exam, and course paper. These findings highlight the potential value of online group work for fostering collaborative learning environments in large lecture courses as well as for enhancing student learning.


Author(s):  
Ruth Geer

This chapter describes an investigation of strategies for fostering higher order cognition in a blended learning environment. The exploration, which utilised a qualitative case study approach, highlights the critical nature of effective instructional design. The study extends the educator’s understanding of the complexities of online and blended learning environments through an analysis of the discourse of computer-mediated communication in a first year teacher education course. The investigation resulted in the development of a pedagogical framework which outlines the relationship between pedagogies, technologies and their related learning outcomes. Critical indicators, which are potentially important as strategies and early warning signs of “students at risk”, become evident in the analysis. This research had led to notions of imprinting and cognitive tracks which can be used to inform strategies for teaching and learning using a blended approach.


ReCALL ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARISOL FERNÁNDEZ-GARCÍA ◽  
ASUNCÍON MARTÍNEZ ARBELAIZ

Previous research has underscored the role of negotiation in providing appropriate conditions for second language acquisition. Varonis and Gass (1985b), in a study of English as a Second Language (ESL), found greater amount of negotiation in non-native–non-native interaction than in native-non–native interaction. Given the increased interest in computer mediated communication and in its applications to language learning, this investigation explores whether those results are obtained when using an electronic written medium. This study compared the negotiations generated by dyads of non-native speakers (NNS–NNS), native speakers (NS–NS), and non-native and native speakers (NNS–NS), in the oral and written modes. The results revealed that the NNS–NS group negotiated in the oral mode significantly more than in the written mode; this group also negotiated significantly more than the other two groups in the oral mode. Learners' shared social and linguistic background seemed to have facilitated the comprehension of input. Conversely, lack of familiarity with native speaker's pronunciation seemed to have caused more breakdowns in the oral conversations of the mixed dyads. Though the results of this study suggest that negotiation is not the main resource to obtain modified input in a foreign language context, other learning strategies that may be beneficial in the language learning process were at use in learner-learner interaction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 98-116
Author(s):  
Ghaouar Nesrine ◽  
Laiche Sara ◽  
Sabah Belhadi

Nowadays, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) becomes the most dominant mode of communication as computers, smart phones, tablets are worldwide used devices for communication especially with the internet facilities through different platforms. However, despite the spread of computer mediated communication modes and devices, it is noticed that people still lack vocabulary in the English language.  Therefore, this research intends to investigate Facebook use as a shared online space to learn vocabulary in English language. In addition, it aims at developing, within Facebook users, the possible vocabulary learning strategies that would enhance their English vocabulary learning. Therefore, two research tools were used with a group of facebook users: a questionnaire and an experiment. The obtained results confirmed that the participants under investigation have significantly improved their vocabulary learning via Facebook. In addition, vocabulary learning has been greatly affected by certain training on some strategies. Hence, Facebook proved to be not only a source of entertainment, but also an effective informal learning tool of English vocabulary.


Author(s):  
Xinchun Wang

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.


2011 ◽  
pp. 3084-3103
Author(s):  
Xinchun Wang

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.


Author(s):  
Janice Krueger

Distance education for professional programs in higher education changes as new technologies emerge. Online courseware offers a different medium for the delivery of distance courses previously offered through live or recorded television. The computer mediated communication features of online courseware provide an effective venue for peer and social learning to take place through collaborative inquiry, contributing to the building of knowledge and skills by all active participants. Students grow as a community of learners and, as common goals and priorities are emphasized, begin to view themselves and others in terms of this community, generating one cohesive group identity. This chapter explores how computer mediated communication (CMC) is seen as an effective tool for building the necessary knowledge, skills, disposition, and attitudes needed by candidates to discover their professional identity.


Author(s):  
Ann Smith

ABSTRACTGiven the need to provide increased opportunities for busy managers to learn, but their reduced availability to attend formal on-campus classes, management students and corporate employers have turned to Distance Education (DE) provision as an alternative to face-to-face (FtF) programmes.Providing flexible delivery, however, does not guarantee that the learning requirements of management students will be met, and needs to be considered in terms of the limits and enhancements to learning that different flexible methodologies support. DE comes in many forms and pedagogics, uses a variety of media, and tends to be designed with the individual learner in mind, whereas the demand for work-relevant management skills requires Management Education (ME) programmes to include collaborative as well as individual modes of learning.Managers require integrative knowledge, emotional intelligence, and complex social and perceptual skills and attitudes that increasingly reflect ethical and values-oriented behaviour. At issue in the shift from FtF to DE is the need to provide opportunities for the ongoing social and interpersonal skills development that would normally occur within the classroom. For DE to add value to management learners it needs to offer flexibility that supports quality work-relevant education.In this paper the author explores whether print-based DE combined with Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) technologies provides a solution. CMC is a networked electronic medium; used in conjunction with print-based DE it can provide opportunities for group interactivity and collaborative learning. Since the skills required for effective CMC participation are also synergistic with the socio-cultural and technical skills required of today's ‘networked manager’, the author suggests that there are further advantages to including CMC as part of the ME curriculum. From a review of the literature, the author concludes that there is much benefit in combining the two methodologies provided that:• appropriate pedagogy is designed into the combined media• the flexibility and educational needs of management learners are met• educators and learners learn how to learn by the new media.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document