Abstract
This chapter describes an evaluation of students’ experiences when seminars were conducted asynchronously using a text-based computer-conferencing system. It was anticipated that by conducting seminars which were not constrained by time or location this would encourage participation and would lead to higher quality contributions. A secondary aim of the evaluation was to investigate whether ‘quieter’ students were encouraged to interact more during the computer-mediated seminar discussions than they would normally do in face-to-face seminars. Examination of the transcripts revealed that there was 100% participation in the majority of discussions. The responses to an evaluation questionnaire indicated that the more introverted students were, the more they perceived the computer-mediated seminars as satisfying and enjoyable. The results also indicated that because there was no need to respond immediately, students were able to research an area in detail before contributing, leading to a more informed discussion. Other individual differences are examined, for example, communication and group working skills and preferences. In conclusion, although computer-mediated seminars can offer flexibility and encourage interaction, it is suggested here that individual differences may also play a part in their perception and use.
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© 1998 Springer-Verlag London
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Taylor, J. (1998). Using Asynchronous Computer-Conferencing to Encourage Interaction in Seminar Discussions. In: Hazemi, R., Hailes, S., Wilbur, S. (eds) The Digital University. Computer Supported Cooperative Work. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0625-8_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0625-8_15
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