Patrick J. Fahy

Student Learning Style and Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Conferencing (CMC) Interaction.

This article describes a study of the relation between learning style, as measured by the Kolb Learning Style Inventory, and online communication behavior, as measured by analysis of transcripts of computer-mediated conferencing (CMC) interaction using a previously developed tool. Analysis of over fifty-nine hundred sentences, generated by forty graduate students in moderated online conferences from two different courses, showed that some theoretical predications of the Kolb learning style model were confirmed, especially for the dichotomous types Convergers and Divergers, and Assimilators and Accommodators.

The Occurrence and Character of Stories and Storytelling in a Computer Conference.

Constructivist views of online interaction often refer to the power of stories and the role of storytelling in the sharing and construction of knowledge, and the creation of learning communities. No empirical evidence of the presence or character of stories in online conferences has been systematically reported, however. This study describes the occurrence of stories in a computer‐mediated communication (CMC) transcript generated by experienced online communicators (graduate students), in relation to some of the expectations of a constructivist view of narrative in online interaction, and in contrast with a historical model for describing face‐to‐face interaction (Bales, 1950). Findings include the observation that, while stories occurred in about one posting in five, students used stories markedly more often than the instructor‐moderator; stories tended to be descriptive, rather than analytic, advisory, or hortatory; gender was not an issue in story use; and both story and non‐story postings were highly group‐supportive, providing information and answers to questions, and avoiding negative social interactions (a finding noted previously in moderated, academic conferences).

Post‐secondary learning priorities of workers in an oil sands camp in Northern Alberta

This paper reports results to date of a three‐year project by Athabasca University, intended to determine the education and training needs and interests of employees in a work camp in northern Alberta’s oil sands. (Future reports will address results of efforts to provide programming suiting the needs identified, and the uptake, satisfaction, completion rates, further requirements, and impacts on the careers of workers who become students as part of the project.) In initial project investigations, the areas of business, finance, and management (including interprovincial business certification for tradesmen), health and safety, and project management constituted 56% of enquiries by workers; also of interest to workers were courses in trades and engineering. Barriers to enrolment were found to be related both to the demands of the workplace and to the workers’ backgrounds and situations, including: long hours (with regular overtime, and often with long commutes to and from the worksite); work pressure (the site was in the final phases of construction); high mobility of employment, resulting in frequent relocations to new work camps; lack of information about the potential relation of training to promotion opportunities within and outside of the present employer; ignorance about open and distance learning in general, and misinformation about technology‐based learning delivery in particular; and concerns about costs were among these.

Action learning: Images and pathways

This paper examines how online distance education acts to democratize access to, and suit the ontologies of, Mauritian women who seek to empower themselves for development. Data from semi-structured interviews of 30 middle class couples are presented in this paper. Interviews and analyses are premised on a feminist perspective and conducted within the social relations analysis framework. The objective of this research was to understand what types of supportive environments (social spaces) enable Mauritian women to engage in educational endeavours that promote their personal potentials and creativities which, in turn, advance democracy for all citizens of Mauritius. Husbands were also interviewed to provide ground for analysis and to decrease bias, which can be generated by women-only data. 1) Marriage/ family and 2) occupation, represent the ‘social spaces’ selected for this study. Discretion, degree of learner control, and the outreach capacity inherent in distance learning makes the online modality a natural choice to democratize women’s access to education. Based on interviewees’ experiences and perceptions, this study concludes that online learning can enhance and democratize women’s access to education for personal development – but only if the power relationships in the two ‘social spaces’ are well understood and well negotiated by these women. The findings in this paper shed light on the importance of understanding ‘learner spaces’ when establishing and setting-up open learning organisations.

Chat and Instant Messaging Systems (synchronous): Report 3/ 3

[Previous reviews of chat and IM systems are presented in Report 6 and Report 14 in this series.] A further set of four text-based instant messaging (IM) products was evaluated: AT&T Anywhere, Parachat, Sonork, and Yahoo Messenger, all available at no cost. Yahoo Messenger was judged to be the most effective of the three products for use by distance education (DE) teachers and students, being compatible with most common operating systems and accommodating up to 50 chat room participants. Yahoo Messenger also possesses integrated audio and video capabilities. AT&T Anywhere is an efficient product, which supports Windows-based operating systems only. Parachat (Basic version) is a basic, browser accessed chat board without instant messaging (IM) capabilities. Evaluation Procedure The three synchronous text-based products tested in this study offer the typical assortment of educationally useful tools, including: text-based chat communications; direct text messaging; private messaging; the ability to create chat rooms for multi-way conferencing; identification of participants; status indicators; alerts upon receiving new messages; an option to include or block users; automatic acknowledgement when users log on/ off; and cut and paste text methods. AT&T Anywhere, Sonork, and Yahoo Messenger each require a software download, and are installed as client software. The three products were each tested in repeated communications between two or more participants, running continuously on their computers for a period of five days. Parachat operates through a webpage, and one was designed specifically for this test, linking to a dedicated room on the product’s public server. Evaluation criteria were consistent with those used in comparable evaluations earlier in this series. Every adjustable, synchronous text related feature of each of the three products was evaluated. The added audio and video features of Yahoo Messenger were not examined, and their availability was not allowed to influence the team’s overall ratings of the three products’ general IM capabilities. Trials of Products and Services 1) AT&T Anywhere (version 3.0.0.0512) is an efficient synchronous text-based product. Download, installation, and configuration are user friendly, and clear Web-based tutorial and help guides are available. AT&T Anywhere loads in a small unobtrusive display window, and yields no Technical Evaluation Report 15 – Chat and Instant Message Systems 2 unwanted icons or pop-up displays. It organises and keeps track of contacts who use other textbased programs such as Yahoo Messenger and ICQ – a feature which, though useful, can create problems in the attempt to use both programs simultaneously, because AT&T prevents this. AT&T will not remain open for extended periods, and the user needs to log in again if the program has been idle for several hours. The product works on Windows platforms only. 2) Parachat (Basic version) is a no cost, Web-based text chat service for website designers. The software generates a single line of HTML code for embedding into a webpage, allowing users to launch a pop-up chat room either by a webpage link or an embedded java applet. The chat rooms are hosted on ParaChat’s own servers. Each room permits public and private text-based chatting, plus the ability to ignore a user, and modify fonts. Parachat lacks many educationally useful features found in the other two products (e.g., start-up options; status indicators; user profiles; the option to accept/ ignore messages from users not on the user’s contact list; and the monitoring of other chat rooms). The chat administrator’s options for customising the chat area are primarily limited to modifying its colour schemes. The basic version’s key benefit is the ease with which Web developers can add one or more basic chat rooms to their sites at no cost. Commercial versions of ParaChat contain features additional to those of the basic version. The first level of commercial upgrade, ParaChat AC (

Integrated Collaborative Tools

10 US per month), provides increased administrative and security features including Web tours (i.e., shared browsing), password protection, and the option to expel participants. The second upgrade level, ParaChat Pro (starting at

Patterns of Interaction in a Computer Conference Transcript

75 US per month), provides a comprehensive package of administrative and customisation features including language translation, database integration, and chat room transcription. ParaChat Server is the final level of upgrade, with a one-time purchase price of

Indicators of Support in Online Interaction

600 US and optional maintenance contracts. This version provides the features of ParaChat Pro plus the ability to control and customise server installation and delivery procedures. No version of ParaChat provides instant messenger (IM) services. 3) Sonork is a messaging product that is evolving rapidly, for which reason it is one of the first in this series of evaluation studies to be reviewed a second time. Sonork is designed for IM communication within workgroups in private and secure Intranet networks, as well as across the Internet. Sonork contains valuable tools for website developers and network administrators, and was the most effective product encountered in a comprehensive search by one of the evaluation team (JB) for an IM system capable of operating between workstations in one location as well as across the Internet. The product provides varied chat features: login status options; the ability to track the use of multiple chat rooms; permanent hosting of chat rooms by the network or individual users; also a calendar and task reminders. Sonork’s installation requires a firm grasp of network design and configurations, and is assisted by a useful installation application. 4) Yahoo Messenger is also a popular product that has been reviewed previously in this series. Yahoo Messenger is a good, synchronous text-based package, with user friendly download, installation and configuration procedures, and customisable privacy features including chat room password protection. Two types of private chat rooms are available: one accommodating up to 50 users, and a conference room for up to 10 invited guests. Yahoo also provides audio and video conferencing, and works on multiple operating systems including Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Palm, and Unix. Though powerful, Yahoo Messenger is a relatively obtrusive program designed for entertainment purposes rather than educational use. It places multiple icons on the user’s screen, including a Yahoo toolbar in the Internet Explorer browser. In our tests, the “Filter offensive words” feature did not work. [Note: The Audio section of the evaluation website accompanying these reviews refers to other messaging products, including MediaRing and VoiceNet.] Technical Evaluation Report 15 – Chat and Instant Message Systems 3

Addressing some Common Problems in Transcript Analysis

Previous reports in this series have featured examples of integrated products that combine into a single software package, techniques offered individually by other products. Increasing acceptance of online collaboration is generating interest in such tools on the part of product developers and users. The distance education (DE) market is now awash with integrated products involving methods ranging from the relatively standard text-based conferencing to synchronous and asynchronous audio and video conferencing techniques. Integrated products typically add a range of ancillary tools to these main features (e.g., whiteboards, polling methods, file sharing and email capability). When choosing an appropriate product for DE usage it is important to discern which of the multitude of features are essential in different situations. The current study examines five contrasting integrated products from the DE user’s perspective.