Virtual schooling, or the practice of offering K-12 courses via distance technologies, has rapidly increased in popularity since its beginning in 1994. Although effective interaction with and support for students in these environments requires a unique set of skills and experiences, teacher education programs rarely include teaching and…

This study examined how differences in communication style affect how likely particular types of messages (e.g. arguments, evidence, critiques, explanations) were able to elicit critical responses during four online debates. Event sequence analysis was used to compare the response probabilities for each type of message across messages that used…

Compares one form of synchronous computer-mediated communication, Daedalus InterChange, with analogous spoken and written corpora. Finds that the InterChange discourse mode is not merely intermediate between speaking and writing; rather the electronic medium uniquely fosters some behaviors and inhibits others, in support of the view that physical…

Examines the frequency, form, and tone of reproaches for misconduct on five newsgroups. Finds that few individuals responded publicly to their reproachers and that complete "traditional" remedial episodes in Usenet were relatively rare. Concludes tentatively that different offense types elicit reproaches which vary in form and tone.…

Proposes that a useful perspective for studying group computer-mediated communication is the theoretical construct of interactivity. Examines a representative snapshot of communication among the very large groups populating the networks. Finds that conversations are less confrontational than popularly believed: conversations are more helpful and…

Explores communication ethnographically in six text-based virtual realities through four items of jargon: spoof, spam, lurk, and lag. Suggests that articulated aesthetics serve as rules for proper behavior, markers of experience and belonging, metaphors for poetic expression, and resources for play and challenge within the community. (RS)

Suggests that William Gibson offers a way to negotiate the conventional discursive elements used within online communication. Notes that cyberspace discourse appears to be at its best not when it tries to minimize the effects of the conventional narratives from which it is built, but instead when it exploits those discourses most fully to reveal…

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…

This repeated-measures, counter-balanced study reports on a comparison of quantity and quality of one teacher's language in face-to-face (FTF) and written electronic (WE) discussions with advanced English as a Subsequent Language (ESL) students. Transcripts from the two types of discussions were compared for complexity of teacher input and the…

Asynchronous text based discussion boards are included in many online courses, however strategies to compare their use within and between courses, from a disciplinary standpoint, have not been well documented in the literature. The goal of this project was to develop a multi-factor metric which could be used to characterize discussion board use in…

This article described the experiences of an inservice professional development program for teachers with a focus on online synchronous discussions. Transcripts of six online synchronous discussions containing 3600 messages from an online teacher professional development course were analyzed. In addition, the researchers interviewed 10…

Hybrid learning is now the single-greatest trend in education today due to the numerous educational advantages when both traditional classroom learning and e-learning are implemented collectively. This handbook collects emerging research and pedagogies related to the convergence of teaching and learning methods. This significant "Handbook of…

The increasing use of computer technology in formal educational settings has been simultaneous with the increased acceptance of functional perspectives of knowledge construction and acquisition. The practical need to make formal education cost efficient has resulted in the use of computer technology to render knowledge accessible to students who…

Analyzes specifics of computer-mediated communication. Finds features and attributes inherent in oral and written forms of speech in dialogs, monologs, and polylogs (telelogs). Finds a particular kind of "pidginized network English" being formed by "netters" for whom English is not their native language. (RS)

Focuses on the dynamics of interracial electronic communication. Examines the misunderstandings that arose in this interracial discussion, situating the causes and consequences of the students' discourse within both the local context of the electronic forum and within wider cultural patterns. Suggests strategies for facilitating more productive…