Lifeline

I have discovered that successful technology mediated interaction between learners is more likely when students are unable to meet face to face and it's the only option they have left. It may sound obvious, but when students are geographically isolated, they tend to take every opportunity to communicate with each other to share experiences, collaborate in project work, discuss the issues raised by the course, trade short cuts and study tips, and generally engage in social dialogue. It's like a lifeline to them. Many of my distance students have told me that it's good to know that other students 'out there' are in the same situation as them, and that they can communicate across distance at the click of a mouse. But it's not all good news….

Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt (1999) studied the effects of collaborative working and the development of online communities in learning. Some of their groups learnt in hybrid (blended) mode - that is, the groups studied predominantly online but occasionally gathered together to meet in a more traditional campus based setting. Palloff and Pratt reported that some of their student groups hardly ever communicated in face to face mode, but rather stored up their comments and contributions for the web based discussion group instead. Palloff and Pratt expressed disquiet about this state of affairs, because although interaction in an electronic environment is both desirable and powerful, it can be a lesser experience than face to face contact if this is available.

Personally, I can't see the problem. If students want to interact with each other they will do so, using whatever means they are most comfortable with. The job of the online tutor is to ensure that students can interact, regardless of their location, and to make sure that the tools are provided for all the possibilities.

Reference

Palloff, R. M. and Pratt, K. (1999) Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

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