A case study describing student experiences of learning in an interactive computer -mediated communication context in a distance education environment

The purpose of this study was to describe and improve understanding of adult students' experiences of learning in an interactive computer-mediated communications context in a distance education environment. Within a constructivist perspective, the theoretical framework for this study was based on collaborative learning theories.;The study setting was an eight-week, Internet-based undergraduate/graduate distance education course, Sociology of Poverty, sponsored by a medium-sized midwestern university. The computer-mediated course was designed by the instructor to support active and collaborative learning among students at a distance.;Study participants included two graduate students and five undergraduate students who volunteered their participation. One professor delivered course and Web-site instruction, aided by one technical assistant. In this descriptive study, responses of participants were collected through a series of individual interviews, field observations, student learning journals, and the researcher's field journal. Evidence collection focused on learners' responses to the synchronous and asynchronous (e-mail messaging) computer-mediated communications of the distance education setting.;Identified were cognitive and affective learning strategies, and descriptions of students' meaningful receiving and expressing experiences. Two cognitive learning strategies were identified: Management of personal resources and management of technology. Two affective learning strategies were identified: Management of self and management of others. The computer-mediated educational context was found to have influenced students' cognitive and affective experiences of learning, and synchronous computer conferencing was judged a potentially motivational and effective tool for interactive learning in a distance education environment. important impacts on students' learning experiences included learner characteristics, the design of the Web-based course and its computer-mediated components, the structure of interactivity in the computer-mediated communications, and the moderation of the weekly synchronous computer conferences. Conclusions and recommendations of this study focused on these five influences.;Implications for future Internet-based distance course design and development included the need for opportunities for students to establish connections with peers early in the course and the need for learner input into course content. Further research requirements revealed included student collaboration in a computer-mediated environment, student-teacher power relations, moderation of synchronous computer conferences, and the integration of online experiences with community-based field experiences.