Informal Communication in Virtual Learning Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 1076-1081
Author(s):  
Werner Beuschel ◽  
Birgit Gaiser ◽  
Susanne Draheim
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Informal Communication ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Computer Mediated

Learning environments increasingly become more diverse by the use of information technology. Thereby, the share of face-to-face situations between students as well as between students and mentors becomes smaller, while the share of encounters in virtual space is growing larger. Thus, computer mediated communication (CMC) is growing in importance in all learning environments.

Informal Communication in Virtual Learning Environments

2011 ◽  
pp. 1164-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Beuschel ◽  
Birgit Gaiser ◽  
Susanne Draheim
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Informal Communication ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Computer Mediated

Learning environments increasingly become more diverse by the use of information technology. Thereby, the share of face-to-face situations between students as well as between students and mentors becomes smaller, while the share of encounters in virtual space is growing larger. Thus, computer mediated communication (CMC) is growing in importance in all learning environments. Since standard learning environments involve both formal and informal communication, it seems reasonable to claim that without informal communication students and faculty would have difficulties in sustaining the learning processes. Beyond the ever-growing exchange of formal content, the opportunity of informal communication appears increasingly essential for the successful pursuit of online studies.

Computer-Mediated Communication

2009 ◽  
pp. 1547-1568
Author(s):  
J. Michael Blocher
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Electronic Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Computer Mediated Communications

Advancements in information technology have transformed much in all aspects of today’s society. In particular, synchronous and asynchronous electronic communication systems support countless interactions every day. However, these communication systems have specific limitations that can cause miscommunications as well. Because of that, computer-mediated communications (CMC) has been a robust research agenda in many disciplines. This is especially true of education, where online learning has become common place in all but a few universities, thus requiring learners to interact via CMC within virtual learning environments. This chapter will use educational CMC research as a lens to promote and support an understanding of how to better utilize and facilitate electronic communication, regardless of the field or endeavor.

Computer-Mediated Communication

2011 ◽  
pp. 195-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Michael Blocher
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Electronic Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Computer Mediated Communications

Advancements in information technology have transformed much in all aspects of today’s society. In particular, synchronous and asynchronous electronic communication systems support countless interactions every day. However, these communication systems have specific limitations that can cause miscommunications as well. Because of that, computer-mediated communications (CMC) has been a robust research agenda in many disciplines. This is especially true of education, where online learning has become common place in all but a few universities, thus requiring learners to interact via CMC within virtual learning environments. This chapter will use educational CMC research as a lens to promote and support an understanding of how to better utilize and facilitate electronic communication, regardless of the field or endeavor.

Benchmarking Electonic Democracy

2011 ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
F. Amoretti
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Electronic Democracy

Electronic democracy refers to the use of information technology (IT) to expedite or transform the idea and practice of democracy. (Street, 2001, p. 4397) From the beginning, a common assumption in many discussions of e-democracy is that ICTs have the power to augur in a new political order. There are of course different ideas about what constitutes as an e-democracy, but it appears to be taken for granted that ICTs have this constructive power regardless of the conditions and environment in which they are used (Barber, 1984). Whilst the most significant experiences in the field of ICTs have been generated by bottom-up processes rooted in civil society, a great deal of e-democracy projects are characterised by the political action of national and supranational institutions. The enormous resources spent on e-democracy initiatives and the institutional structure of democratic societies that place pressure on politicians and decision makers to justify their decisions in relation to those they represent both generate a need for public evaluation tools and shared instruments of analysis. Moreover, as information technology tends to create spaces of interaction that are easily accessible and interconnected on a global scale, the need for standardised empirical definitions and indicators is attracting more and more attention (Gibson, Ward, & Rommele, 2004; Trechsel, Kies, Mendez, & Schmitter, 2004). Benchmarking, in this context, is a method of analysis that comprises the identification of significant factors that influence the perceived quality of an interactive virtual space and that facilitates a constant process of comparative monitoring and evaluation of experiences. Many institutions and research centres are currently committed to this task, deducing empirical frameworks of analysis from theoretical reflections about computer-mediated communication (CMC) and democracy, whilst simultaneously seeking to improve theories regarding electronic democracy—and democracy tout court—by the observation and comparison of diverse projects. The output of this kind of research is often a set of best practices, intended to export successful approaches from one country to another.

A case study of language learners’ social presence in synchronous CMC

ReCALL ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao-Jung Ko
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Learning Journals

AbstractThis study adopts a case study approach to investigate the impacts of synchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) learning environments on learners’ perception of social presence. The participants were twelve French as a foreign language (FFL) beginners in a Taiwanese university. Divided into three groups, they conducted some tasks in three different learning environments (video/audio, audio and face-to-face) during an academic semester. Before each oral task, all the participants had to conduct the same task in synchronous text chat. The participants’ interview transcriptions, learning journals and the instructor's observation journal provided information about the impacts of each environment on their perception of social presence. The results of the study suggested that the differences in the environments are reflected in the learners’ perception of social presence.

Benchmarking Electonic Democracy

2011 ◽  
pp. 362-370
Author(s):  
Francesco Amoretti
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Political Action ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Electronic Democracy

Electronic democracy refers to the use of information technology (IT) to expedite or transform the idea and practice of democracy. (Street, 2001, p. 4397) From the beginning, a common assumption in many discussions of e-democracy is that ICTs have the power to augur in a new political order. There are of course different ideas about what constitutes as an e-democracy, but it appears to be taken for granted that ICTs have this constructive power regardless of the conditions and environment in which they are used (Barber, 1984). Whilst the most significant experiences in the field of ICTs have been generated by bottom-up processes rooted in civil society, a great deal of e-democracy projects are characterised by the political action of national and supranational institutions. The enormous resources spent on e-democracy initiatives and the institutional structure of democratic societies that place pressure on politicians and decision makers to justify their decisions in relation to those they represent both generate a need for public evaluation tools and shared instruments of analysis. Moreover, as information technology tends to create spaces of interaction that are easily accessible and interconnected on a global scale, the need for standardised empirical definitions and indicators is attracting more and more attention (Gibson, Ward, & Rommele, 2004; Trechsel, Kies, Mendez, & Schmitter, 2004). Benchmarking, in this context, is a method of analysis that comprises the identification of significant factors that influence the perceived quality of an interactive virtual space and that facilitates a constant process of comparative monitoring and evaluation of experiences. Many institutions and research centres are currently committed to this task, deducing empirical frameworks of analysis from theoretical reflections about computer-mediated communication (CMC) and democracy, whilst simultaneously seeking to improve theories regarding electronic democracy—and democracy tout court—by the observation and comparison of diverse projects. The output of this kind of research is often a set of best practices, intended to export successful approaches from one country to another.

scholarly journals Teachers’ interaction in combined physical and virtual learning environments:

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katri Hansell ◽  
Michaela Pörn ◽  
Sandra Bäck
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
School Context ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Learning And Teaching

The development of the Internet and digital tools for interaction has enabled computer-mediated communication as part of the communicative approach to language learning and teaching. This creates affordances for learners of any target language from any location to communicate with each other, for example, through tandem language learning – that is, reciprocal two-way learning in dyads of two students with different first languages. Previous studies on tandem learning have mainly focused on the interaction between tandem partners in informal learning situations. In this study, we explore the teacher’s role in virtual classroom tandem applied to curriculum-based language teaching. The aim is to describe teachers’ engagement in interactional situations in the classroom, including the interplay between the physical classroom and virtual learning environments (VLEs). The data comprise video and screen recordings of teacher activities and interactions. The results reveal that virtual classroom tandem is a strongly student-centred approach where the teacher interaction during tandem lessons is notably narrower compared with tandem language learning based entirely on face-to-face meetings in a formal school context and in classroom instruction generally.

Developing information literacy courses for students through virtual learning environments in Tanzania: Prospects and challenges

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110182
Author(s):  
Evans F Wema
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Virtual Learning Environments ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning ◽  
The Face

This article reviews literature on the use of virtual learning environments by highlighting their potential and the challenges of introducing the same in Tanzania. It introduces the concept of virtual learning environments by demonstrating their applications to support teaching and learning. The article discusses the use of virtual learning environments in teaching information literacy courses by highlighting the success of using such tools in facilitating the teaching of information literacy courses to library users. In this review, special emphasis is placed on attempts by Tanzanian institutions of higher learning to introduce web-based teaching of information literacy and the challenges faced. The review reveals the need for Tanzanian institutions of higher learning to develop virtual learning environments to facilitate the teaching of information literacy courses to students and faculty so as to reach many of those who may not manage to attend the face-to-face information literacy sessions that are offered by librarians on a regular basis.

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