Learning in Computer Conferenced Contexts: The Learners' Perspective

Abstract

Reported here is a study about how adult students learn in an environment that enables group communication only by text-based messaging, that is, computer conferencing (CC). Four questions guided the study: How do students say they learned? What, in their opinion, are the salient features of CC? What, if any, are the effects of those features on their learning? And Do the students' descriptions of how they learned relate to learning strategies as found in cognitive psychology literature? The results were developed from qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with 21 M.Ed. students and the instructors for the two courses involved. The key categories of learning strategies identified were choice, expression, peer interaction, and organization of information. The salient features were interconnected to the perceived strengths and weaknesses of CC, and all appear to indicate that CC poses as many challenges as it does opportunities for its use in higher education. The results of the study suggest that the taxonomy from cognitive psychology that was used for this study should be expanded to include strategies that focus on the management of the inter-personal and logistical elements of the CC context. Suggestions for improved practice are offered. Lorsque la communication de groupe depend uniquement de messageries textuelles, a savoir les ordinoconferences, comment les etudiants adultes apprennent-ils? Le present article fait etat des resultats d'une enquete orientee par quatre questions: 1) Comment les etudiants affirment-ils avoir appris? 2) Que percoivent-ils comme etant les traits saillants des ordinoconferen-ces? 3) Ces traits ont-ils une incidence sur leur apprentissage? et 4) Les modes d'apprentissage identifies sont-ils conformes aux strategies decrites par la psychologie cognitive? Au cours d'entrevues en profondeur, on a recueilli des donnees qualitatives aupres de 21 etudiants a la maitrise en education et aupres des enseignants des deux cours en cause. Les princi-pales strategies identifiees ont ete le choix, l'expression, l'interaction avec les pairs et l'organisation des informations. Les traits saillants etaient relies aux forces et aux faiblesses percues de tels environnements, et tout porte a croire qu'au niveau des etudes superieures, les ordinoconferences sont porteuses d'autant de defis que de promesses. Les resultats semblent in-diquer que la taxonomie utilisee, tiree de la psychologie cognitive, devrait inclure aussi des strategies orientees par la gestion des elements interper-sonnels et logistiques propres aux ordinoconferences. L'article presente aussi des suggestions d'ordre pratique.