DESIGN OF A SYNCHRONOUS CMC SYSTEM SUPPORTING PERSISTENT DISCUSSION IN ONLINE LEARNING COMMUNITIES

摘要

This paper presents a design for a novel unified webbasedrnsystem to support persistence of text-basedrnsynchronous discussion within the context of a traditionalrnasynchronous learning network (ALN) for the purpose ofrnsustaining online learning communities outside therntraditional classroom setting. The study builds on thernresults of previous studies into synchronous computermediatedrncommunication (CMC) to outline a frameworkrnto meet the needs of distance learners as determinedrnthrough a rapid contextual design protocol. A group ofrndistance graduate students in the field of educationrnparticipated in the design process through a surveyrnmechanism and evaluation of a lightweight prototype. Thernenvisioned system will provide synchronous facilities tornsupport persistent, thematic discussion spaces, automatedrnarchiving, search and tagging functionality, andrnguidelines and scaffolds for effective integration intornexisting ALN environments. Early results indicate supportrnfor the approach, especially with digital natives and theirrnassociated digital immigrant educators.