H809 1-4 & 1-5 Teaching sociology in a virtual classroom

The first reading on H809 is by Hiltz and Meinke (1989) 'Teaching sociology in a virtual classroom'.  Looking back at when computer-mediated communication (CMC) was first introduced as a teaching and learning tool it's interesting to reflect on how things have moved on, but also how some things remain the same and are still widely debated today.

I've recorded my notes for the reading using more traditional ICT methods (e.g. Word  Processor) and you can see them in PDF format here (shared publicly via my Google Docs), however I thought the blog would be a good space to reflect on the questions posed to us at the end of week 1  ...

What counts as evidence in this work?

• Quantitative …
  o Pre and post-course questionnaires (primary)
  o Grades, SAT scores
  o Records of online activity
• Qualitative …
  o Participant observation in class conferences
  o Personal interviews with students
  o Case reports by instructors

 How do the two explicit research questions relate to the design of the research?

1. Is the Virtual Classroom (VC) a viable option for education delivery? (On the whole, are outcomes at least as good as those for traditional face-to-face courses?) - Quantitative approach
2. What variables are associated with especially good and especially poor outcomes in this new teaching and learning environment? - Qualitative approach

In what ways is the wider literature used in the paper?

• To provide further detail of terms used (e.g. software descriptions)
• To support the claim that a collaborative learning approach helps teachers and learners, as active participants in the learning process, construct their own knowledge and therefore their own learning (as opposed to knowledge transfer)
• To support the claim that CMC opens up new educational options for both teachers (e.g. in terms of curriculum design/learning activities) and learners (e.g. flexible self-paced access, accessing searchable material, improved writing skills).

What views of education and learning underpin the research?

• Collaborative learning strategies and approaches underpin the use of CMC via theVC
  (Also, suggestions of self-directed learning, self-paced learning)
• Blended Learning (mixed-mode) delivery