14. COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION

Alexander J. Romiszowski

SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

Robin Mason
OPEN UNIVERSITY

14.1 INTRODUCTION: VARIETIES OF CMC TECHNOLOGIES

14.1.1 Scope of This Chapter* (*Early versions of this chapter were reviewed by Dan Eastmond, to whom the authors are grateful.)

Computer-mediated communication (CMC) is a generic term now commonly used for a variety of systems that enable people to communicate with other people by means of computers and networks. Well-known examples of such systems include computer conferencing, electronic mail, discussion lists, and bulletin boards. However, there are yet other possible applications of CMC, both in the work environment and in education and training. In the work environment, a common and growing phenomenon is collaborative work by individuals or groups who are separated from each other by either time or distance. This has come to be called computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) (Grief, 1988). In the education and training context, in addition to computer "conferencing," we can set up computer-mediated discussions of a more-focused nature as exemplified by the so-called virtual classroom (Hiltz, 1986, 1990), computer-mediated seminars and case study discussions (Romiszowski & DeHaas, 1989; Romiszowski, Jost & Chang, 1990), and computer-mediated job "performance support systems" (Gery, 1991). The variety of alternative modalities is large and growing. In this chapter we shall limit our discussion to those approaches that have been implemented for a few years and have therefore generated a reasonable quantity of research on their effectiveness and operational characteristics.

14.1.2 Out-of-Scope

We will exclude from our analysis the use of computer networks for accessing remote databases or library systems or for the transmission of large bodies of text that are not the basis for a person-to-person discussion and argument (e.g., on-line journals). We shall also exclude computer-assisted instruction (CAI), computer-based training (CBT), and other varieties of computer-assisted learning (see 12.2.3) in which the student interacts with the computer but not necessarily with other people. Similarly, we shall also exclude such systems as, for example, a group of four or five students all together at one time and place, using one computer to work collaboratively on some problem. As we move into the age of synergy between the cognitive sciences, computer sciences, and telecommunications, we are continually being faced with new possibilities for communication over distances. As an example, the recent movement towards multimedia computing has already found an application in computer-based audiographic conferencing systems (see 13.4.2.2) with multimedia support for visual communications and in desktop-video conferencing systems (see 13.4.2.6) that, provide two-way digitized video communication between remote sites. Voice mail systems are also being applied in education and training contexts to enable asynchronous audio conferencing or multiway communication between people at remote sites (Bernard & Naidu, 1990; Romiszowski & Iskandar, 1992; Iskandar, 1994).

14.1.3 Partly-in-Scope

However, it is difficult to draw a precise line, as we have recently seen hybrid applications that involve a combination of computer-based instruction and computer-mediated discussions between students at a distance (e.g.,Romiszowsky& Chang, 1992, 1994). Similarly it is increasingly common to encounter systems that combine the use of information accessed from remote databases with CMC interchanges between users separated from each other by time or distance. Indeed, computer-based collaborative work almost invariably involves such a combination. Some authors see such hybrid "fourth-generation distance education systems" as playing a central role in future technology-based education (Lauzon & Moore, 1989).

These new developments will also largely be excluded from this chapter, though occasionally they may be mentioned as future developments with implications for future research questions. Finally, although we do not explicitly exclude all applications of CMC in elementary and secondary school settings, we have tended to concentrate our review on the postsecondary levels, both in higher education and business training contexts.