Coping with computers

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Authors
Saunders, Nancy G.
Advisor
McElhinney, James H.
Issue Date
1998
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (D. Ed.)
Department
Department of Educational Leadership
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the meaning of responses of study participants to interactive computer-mediated communication within a distance learning environment. The theoretical framework for this study was based on collaborative learning theories within a constructivist perspective.The study setting was a distance learning graduate course taught in a studio classroom on Ball State University campus and transmitted via the IHETS Network to five distant sites in Indiana. An interactive Internet site, the Class Page, was an important instructional component of the course. This Class Page was developed to enable and support active, collaborative learning among distance learners.Study participants, all graduate students enrolled in degree programs, included 13 studio students and 24 off site students. One professor and two graduate assistants delivered course and Web site instruction. In this descriptive study, responses of participants were collected through a series of surveys and interviews over the sixteen week semester. Evidence collection focused on learner responses to the computer component of this distance learning setting.Identified in this study were cognitive and affective learning strategies developed and employed by students to effectively learn from the educational environment of computer-mediated communication within this study's setting. Two cognitive learning strategies identified were the management of the computer environment' and the management of personal resources.' Two affective learning strategies identified were the management of self and the management of others.' The computer medium of this setting played an important role in determining how students responded to, and learned within, this distance learning environment.Learners' responses to this multimedia distance setting were shaped by specific aspects of the learning environment. The development of the cognitive and affective learning strategies was influenced by the instructional design of the distance course and the Class Page, the structure of Class Page interactivity, and the characteristics of individual learners. Conclusions and recommendations of this study focused on these four influences upon student responses. Implications for future distance education design and development included the need for a clear model of distance learner participation and further research requirements in areas such as learner characteristics, applications of interactive media, and course design issues.