Shaping an effective virtual academic discourse community: the cyber-instructor's role

摘要

With the advent of the computer-mediated or "virtual" classroom have come dramatic shifts in the roles and responsibilities of the instructor. The instructor's role has evolved from being a "professor" of knowledge to a facilitator of learning experiences; from an evaluator to a coach; from a content area specialist to a "technorhetorician"; from an all knowing fount of knowledge to a tour guide on the information superhighway. These changing roles and responsibilities can often present challenges and conflict, especially from those instructors and students who are deeply ingrained in the proscenium-based model of "transferring" knowledge. This paper presents a case study of a virtual classoroom and discusses the "decentering" of the instructor in an atempt to provide an collaborative, open learnign environment for the students. Further case studies are needed in order to develop a theoretical basis for pedagogical strategies that will translate into effective learning opportunities for students in virtual learning environments.