Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Students are expected to subscribe electronically to the class email list. They are then
encouraged by the lecturer to introduce themselves to the class online by informing the group
about something about themselves, their interests, their current work or study areas, and their
backgrounds. This helps to contextualize the backgrounds of the class members and, hence,
provides a framework for discussion, interpretation, and linking across the group. This
process also provides information that allows the lecturer to divide the class into weekly
presentation groups. Where possible, the allocation allows people of diverse backgrounds
to be brought together into vibrant but cohesive groups. The allocation to groups is
completed by the second week of the semester. By this time, students are expected to establish
contact with their virtual group members and start working on their assessment tasks. This
time is also used to seek out incompatibilities in the groups, try to resolve any conflicts, and
help people learn to work together. While reallocation across groups is available during this
initial time, it is only used as a last resort when it is obvious that it is necessary in order to
achieve a cohesive team effort. Any traditional cultural or ethnic differences are treated with
immediate sensitivity. On Week three of the semester, the first group makes its presentation
to the class online. The presentation consists of an article (which the students have to
enclose, attach, or simply establish a hyperlink to) and a critique that links the article with the
reading in the topic for the week.
Feedback from students contributes to the mark for the presentation. The above
process is repeated for 10 weeks until the end of the semester, with each week dedicated to
an in-depth discussion on a different topic that is related to the reading for that week.
The major advantages of the model are as follows:
It involves the three modes of teacher-student interaction.
Students have interaction
with the teacher in the traditional “one to many” mode, when they interact with the course
material and the lecturer in normal post and electronic interactions. Students have the
immediate possibility of “one to one” interaction with the lecturer by mail, telephone, or email
for points of clarification or detailed discussion. However, the bulk of the interaction is
through the “many to many” mode, where students interact through their groups in the
development of their presentations to the class and in commenting on other group presen-
tations.
The process of having students interact within groups off the class email list means that
the class email list does not get flooded primary discourse. It is only the group position that
ends up on the class email list. However, this does not prevent individuals presenting their
perspectives as a component of the group contribution, and in the end, all views are captured
in the presentations. The model provides the opportunity for individuals who feel disadvan-
taged in the group process to interact directly with the lecturer who acts a moderator. There
is also the opportunity for group members to raise the issue of nonparticipation of individual
group members with the lecturer. As the interactions are all online, participation is verifiable
from the electronic log.
It provides flexibility for lecturer and learner.
Supplementary readings are chosen by
the students to allow contextualization of the material and to increase discourse around
different worldviews. Hence, it supports the concepts of Communicative Action as proposed
by Habermas (1984) to address the issues of technical, instrumental, and bureaucratic
rationality. Temporal effort is negotiated within groups, and this allows the pressures of
modern life to be accommodated. All of these negotiations are carried out within the group,
