14.3.1 Origins of CMC Networks

Computer-mediated communication is in fact one of the earlier modes in which computers have been used within the education process. Before CAI was more than an idea in the minds of certain researchers, computer networking and conferencing systems were already implemented, initially to facilitate communication among researchers. Indeed, it was in response to the fear of a possible war damaging the potential of researchers to continue to work that many of the major universities and government research institutions

of the United States were linked by a network named ARPANET, which was so designed as to offer multiple communication paths between the various nodes or sites in the network (Elmer-Dewitt, 1994). The idea was that if certain sites were knocked out, the remaining sites could still communicate with each other independently of the particular geographic location of the disabled sites. This characteristic of the ARPANET system has been maintained in its successors such as Bitnet and Internet. Indeed, Internet is in effect a worldwide network of ARPANET-like local regional networks (Jacobson & Zimpfer, 1992).

14.3.2 Proliferation of the Networks

The linking of all regional networks to all the others creates multiple pathways of access from any one node in any one network to any other node in any of the other networks. This powerful web of electronic communication has become an indispensable tool for research and collaborative work in the scientific community. During the last year or so, the academic exclusivity of Internet has broken down as an ever-increasing number of commercial providers have opened access to anybody willing to subscribe. In 1994, the estimate of the size of Internet was in the region of 25 million connected computers, many of them with, of course, multiple users. This number is double the previous year's, and it is estimated that the number of users will continue to double annually for the foreseeable future (Elmer-Dewitt, 1994). It would seem that we are in the process of a major transformation of the communication habits and patterns of our society.

14.3.3 Corporate Uses of CMC

In the area of business communications, CMC has already become firmly established. Today, most of the major companies in the United States and Europe either rent or maintain their own data and personal communication networks so that all departments can communicate effectively and efficiently by electronic means. One aspect of increasing importance in these systems is the use of electronic mail, computer conferencing, and, increasingly, computer-supported collaborative work between individuals or groups who may be scattered in different regions of a country or even different continents. The "globalization" of business communication has become necessary for staying competitive.

An interesting aspect of the economics of this trend is illustrated by the growing tendency for North American telephone companies to offer low cost rates for business communication in Europe, given that much of the business day in Europe falls in a quiet period of early morning when telecommunication traffic in North America is at its lowest. Now, European companies are retaliating by adopting the same global marketing strategy rather than attempting to rely on (unenforceable) protective legislation. The tendency to this "whole world" view of telecommunications, coupled with the possibility of digitizing and storing messages for transmission at more convenient or more economical times, is transforming the whole sociopolitical structure of business communications and is now also beginning to impact on personal communications.

14.3.4 Educational Uses of CMC

In education, a particular growth area is the use of computer-. mediated communication systems, not only for distance education when the participants are separated physically but also for more convenient communication on the same campus. Applications include institutions that utilize CMC as a principal mode of instruction and communication between tutors and students for whole courses, programs that run a few course units by means of CMC, and the use of CMC as a support medium for enrichment in otherwise conventional courses. However, such developments are not free of problems.

One of the problems identified in the educational uses of computer conferencing is that of teacher workload. Experiences from the NKI Electronic College in Norway show that teachers' main reservation about educational CMC is the open-ended demand on their time (Paulsen, 1992). As early as 1988, Hiltz noted that teaching an on-line course, at least the first time, was a bit like parenthood. "You are 'on duty' all the time, and there seems to be no end to the demands on your time and energy" (Hiltz, 1988, p. 3 1).

Nevertheless, many educators enthusiastic about the use of this new teaching medium have adapted strategies from small-group and,interactive face-to-face techniques to the on-line world. Examples include seminars, learning partnerships, group projects, team presentations, simulations and role plays, peer counseling, and self-help groups. These and others are described in Miller (199 1).

As economic realities shift towards ever-decreasing costs of electronic communication and ever-increasing costs of transport, space, lighting, heating, and teaching salaries, the tendency towards distance education methods, particularly electronically delivered distance education, is likely to increase yet further. In the light of this situation, it is important to verify to what extent the use of computer-mediated communication can be an effective alternative to conventional methods of teaching and leaming. It is for these reasons that a review of current research on CMC and identification of potential future research questions is of particular importance at this time.