This study was conducted to investigate the student-to-student
interactions that take place in an online community college course, and how
the interactions impact an online learning community.
The literature review revealed three related themes: (a) the impact of
the teaching/learning environment on student interaction, (b) barriers in the
online environment, and (c) peer collaboration in the online environment.
The case was selected using four selection criteria: (a) the class was
offered completely online (b) the instructor was experienced teaching online
classes, (c) computer technology was not the primary content of the course,
and (d) the level of interaction was sufficient to investigate student interaction.
Data were collected from public transcripts including bulletin board
forum postings, email, group papers, and interviews. Six of the 16 students
enrolled in the class and the instructor were interviewed.
In this case, the environment impacted the way students interacted,
collaborated, and socialized with peers. It changed the way participants
existed within the learning community and impacted how students interpreted
meaning and perceived time.
The study generated findings with implications for community college
instructors and participants of online learning communities. The online
environment may impact: (1) how conflict is handled, (2) the quality of
discussion among peers, (3) student involvement with peers, (4) the formation
of cohesive groups, (5) a student's ability to interpret the meaning of
comments made by others, (6) a student's expectations of the time needed to
complete tasks and respond to others, and (7) the ability to design a flexible
structure that encourages students to explore outside their comfort zone.
Additional research is warranted. It is recommended that future studies be
conducted to investigate how conflict, time, and collaboration impact an online
learning community. / Graduation date: 2002
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/32434 |
| Date | 15 October 2001 |
| Creators | Cvetko, Marlene G. |
| Contributors | Stern, Sam |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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