Abstract
Completing aregulatededucationin aspecificareaisno guaranteeofgetting ajobor, forthat matter, ofachievingjob security. Inviewofthissituation, adultschoosetocarryonlearning. This articleanalysesparticipation inhigher-educationlifelonglearning coursesentirely undertakenin virtuallearningenvironments(VLEs). Theaimistoestablishwhichaspectsofthecommunication processaddqualitytoonlinecourses. Thesampleconsistsoffourlifelonglearningcoursespublished onWebCT forgraduatesingeneralandteachers/lecturersatvariouseducationallevelsinparticular,
whosegoalistofurthertheiracademictraininginordertospecialiseinaspecific field. Theresearch combines both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Two main tools were used to gather data:theWebCT “TrackStudents”toolandthecommunicationtool. Theresultsshow thatquality in thecommunication processesof onlinecourseshas a direct impacton student participation
inonlineteaching-learningprocesses. Dealing withstudentsinapersonalisedmanner, designing Submittedin:July2010 Acceptedin:October2010 Publishedin:January2011
Recommended citation
SANTOVEÑA, Sonia María (2011). “Communication Processes in Virtual Learning Environments andtheirImpactonOnlineLifelongLearning”[onlinearticle]. Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (RUSC). Vol. 8, No1, pp. 111-127. UOC. [Accessed:dd/mm/yy].
communicationtoolsthattakeaccountoftheneedsofacademicdisciplinesandofusers, offeringa varietyofdiscussiontopics, coordinatingthemanddirectingtheminaresponsible, effectivemanner,
andofferingquick, smoothinteractionaresomeoftheinterveningvariables.
Keywords
lifelonglearning, communication, virtuallearningenvironments
Procesos de comunicación a través de entornos virtuales
y su incidencia en la formación permanente en red
Resumen
Finalizar la enseñanza reglada en un área específica no garantiza conseguir un puesto de trabajo ni, por
supuesto, la estabilidad laboral. Ante esta situación, los adultos optan por seguir estudiando. Esta
investi-gación pretende analizar la participación en cursos de formación permanente universitaria desarrollados
íntegramente en entornos virtuales de aprendizaje. Pretendemos esclarecer qué aspectos del proceso de
comunicación dan calidad a nuestros cursos virtuales. La muestra está formada por cuatro cursos de
for-mación permanente publicados en WebCT y destinados a graduados, especialmente a docentes de
distin-tos niveles educativos, cuyo objetivo sea continuar su formación académica y conseguir la especialización.
Se basa en un diseño mixto desarrollado desde una perspectiva cualitativa y cuantitativa. Los
instrumen-tos con los que se han recogido los dainstrumen-tos han sido principalmente la herramienta de «Seguimiento de
alumnos» y la herramienta de comunicación de WebCT. Los resultados obtenidos indican que la calidad
en los procesos de comunicación de los cursos virtuales repercute directamente en la participación que
tienen los estudiantes en el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en red. Atender a los alumnos de forma
personalizada, diseñar las herramientas de comunicación pensando en las necesidades de la disciplina y
de los usuarios, ofrecer variedad de temas de discusión, coordinarlos y dirigirlos de manera responsable y
eficaz u ofrecer una interacción rápida y fluida son algunas de las variables intervinientes.
Palabras clave
1. Higher-Education Lifelong Learning in the
Knowledge Society
PaulBelanger, thedirectoroftheUNESCOInstitute, considersthatlifelonglearningbecameespecially
importantinthe1970sasaresultofeconomicgrowthandariseinconfidencelevels. Sincethen,
lifelong learning has been a pivotal feature of UNESCO and OECD (Organization for Economic
CooperationandDevelopment)initiatives(RequejoOsorio,2003, page28).
IntheEuropeancontext, referenceshouldbemadetotheBolognaDeclaration(1999), whichlaid
thefoundationsfortheunifieddevelopmentoftheEuropeanHigherEducation Area(EHEA)by2010.
Theneedtoincreasetheclarityandtransparencyofhigher-educationstudies, toofferattractive
educationalprogrammesandtoimprovecompetitionineducationweresomeofthedriversofthe
BolognaDeclaration.ItsmainpurposeistoachieveaEuropeofknowledge, whichisconsidered
crucialtosocialdevelopmentandcitizentraining.LifelonglearningwithintheBolognaDeclaration
frameworkisenhancedbyaspectssuchasstudentandteacher/lecturermobility, inclusioninthe
European labourmarket, international competition and obtaining recognised accreditation and
qualificationsoutsidethehigher-educationsystem.
GiventhelabourmobilityandinstabilityexperiencedbymostSpanishcitizens, lifelonglearning
hasbecomeaneducationalalternativethathelpsthem findworkandadapttonewjobs. Inshort,
completingaregulatededucationinaspecificareaisnoguaranteeofgettingajobor, forthatmatter,
ofachievingjob security. Inviewofthis situation, adults choosetocarryonlearninginorder to
developtheirCVs.
2. The Online Learning Process
Itisnothingnewtoassertthatinformationandcommunicationtechnologies(ICTs), computerisation,
telecommunicationsandmicro-electronicshaveledtoinnovationsininformationexchangesandin
communication, andhavehadanimpactonthedevelopmentofinnovativeinitiativesinthesphere
ofeducation.
ICTscan beintegrated intoeducation from anumber of different angles: as an educational
resource, an objectof study, an administrationand/ormanagementmedium, and as aresearch
andcommunicationmedium. Asacommunicationmedium, acharacteristicfeatureofICTsistheir
abilitytofacilitateinteractionbetweenteachers/lecturersandstudents, andbetweenstudentsand
educationalcontent. Inthiscontext, worthyofnotearesomeaspectsthatCabero Almenarapointed
outasbeingthedefiningfeaturesofICTs:instantaneousness, quality, flexibility, speed, adaptability,
diversity, storagecapacityanddigitalisation.
Disciplinessuchaspsychology, sociology, linguistics, educationandengineeringhavehadan
impactonthetheoryofcommunication. In2001, M. Rodrigo Alsinapresentedaclassificationofthe
Interpretative: the main objective isthe study ofinterpersonal communication, defined as a
processthatallowsmeaningtobeshared, societytobebuiltandmasscommunicationprocessesto
bestrengthened. Themediasupportingtheinterpersonalcommunicationprocessareconsideredto
developmeaningand/ortomodifyexistingmeaning. Someoftheinterpretativeapproachesarethe
Palo Altoschool, symbolicinteractionism, constructivismandethnomethodology.
Functionalist: an approach that performs mass communication research from an essentially
instrumentalistandpragmaticviewpoint, wherethefunctionofthereceiverispracticallycancelled
out.
Criticalperspective:comprisingasetofapproachesinfluencedbyMarxism, whoseobjectiveof
studyis21st-centurycapitalistsociety(Frankfurtschool, politicaleconomyandculturalstudies).
Onlinecommunicationisamediumthatintegrateseducationalobjectivesintotechnological
innovation. Anawarenessofavailablemediaandoftheiradvantageshelpsthoseinvolvedinthe
teaching-learningprocesstotransmitinformationeffectively;inaddition, itraisesthepotentialto
turnthatinformationintoknowledge. Thisimpliesnotonlypossessingcertaininterpersonalskills,
butalsobeingawareofthepotentialthatnewtechnologiesoffer.
A factworthyofnoteisthehistoricimpactoftheintegrationofseveralmeansofcommunication
onaninteractivenetwork;in otherwords, theformationofhypertext andametalanguage that,
forthe firsttimeinhistory, integratewritten, oralandaudiovisualmeansofhumancommunication
intoone system (Castell, 2008, page400). Onlinecommunication allows ustointegrate written
messages, imagesandsoundintoonesystem, whichfacilitatesinteraction, whethersynchronousor
asynchronous, fromdistantpoints.
The process of onlinecommunication throughthe production of digital messages, whether
writtenand/ormultimediaones, involves asetofphasesandcompetencies. We havetakenthe
communicationprocessestablishedbyRodríguezIlleraandEscofetRoig(2008, pages373-374)as
theconceptualframework. Theauthorsconsiderthatthecommunicationprocessischaracterisedby
threeinterrelatedblocksofcompetencies:communicationcompetencies, technicalcompetencies
(abilitytousesoftwareapplications)andproductioncompetencies(abilitytoproducemessagesin
virtuallearningenvironments). Regardingthephasesofthecommunicationprocess, theauthors
refer to conception, design, production, transmission, reception, comprehension and response.
Textualormultimediacontentandavarietyofcompositionsaregeneratedintheproductionphase.
Bothelementsbecomepartofthecommunicationproductionprocessitself, whichischaracterised
byhavingthreemainproductionmoments:creation(specificcodesandapplications), re-use(search
andselection)andspace-timedistribution (unidirectionalandinteractivemessages). Ontheone
hand, productionprocessesrequire thedevelopment oftheaforementionedcompetencies and,
ontheother, theuseofapplicationsthatallowthemtobecarriedout, suchassearching, editing,
composing, programming, publishingandsynchronouscommunication.
As Castell (2008, page401) asserts, the advent of a new electronic communication system,
characterisedbyits globalreach, its integrationintoallmediaandits potentialforinteraction, is
3. Experiments Undertaken at the National
University of Distance Education (UNED) on
the Teaching-Learning Process Using WebCT
In2000, UNEDstartedtheprocessofintegratingICTsintothedistanceeducationsystem. Initially, it
exclusivelyusedtheWebCT platformasaVLE. Sincethe2001-2002academicyear, manyresearch
projectshavebeeninitiated, whoseobjectofstudyincludestheadvancesandpotentialofintegrating
WebCT intotheteaching-learningprocess.
In 2002, research was carried out on student participation in online courses in Psychology,
HispanicLanguageStudiesandInformation Technology. Itwasfoundthatstudentsoftenaccessed
theVLE. However, oneofthemostnoteworthydatawasthatstudentsonLanguageStudiescourses
–thestudies havingalower technicallevel– werethemost activeparticipantsinsubjects:they
accesseddiscussionboardsmoreoften, andsentandreadmoremessages. Someoftheconclusions
highlightedtheneedtomakeimprovementstothecourses, suchasrenewingthetechnological
resources ofassociated centres, raising student motivation toget them totake partin courses,
enhancingthedisseminationprocessforthistypeofstudies, strengtheningcollaborationbetween
lecturersandoptimisingtheeducationalqualityofthestudies(SantoveñaCasal& TasendeMañá,
2002).
Subsequently, in2006, researchwascarriedoutonthequalityofonlinecoursesfortheSocial
Educationdiploma, andtheconclusiondrawnfromitwasthatinrecentyears, therehadnotbeen
adequateprogressintermsofthequalityofUNED’sonlinecourses. Therecommendationsaffected
boththesupportofferedtostudentsandthequalityofteachingmaterials(SantoveñaCasal, 2006).
In2006, MalikLiévanoandhisteamcarriedoutapilotstudyonthetwoformatsofPsychopedagogy
Practice(onerequiringpresenceatacollaboratingcentreandtheotherbeingmore flexible), and
concludedthattheirobjectiveshadbeenattained. Studentshavelearnttorelatetoandcoordinate
withtherestofthegroup, tohandleonlinetoolsandtosearchforinformation. Studentsgetareally
practicaleducationinaVLE.
Finally, wewouldpointouttheresearchcarriedoutbyJordanodela TorreandVarelaMéndez
in2006 onstudentparticipation inthesubjectofEnglish, onthe Tourism diplomacoursemade
availableonWebCT. Theauthorsconcludedthatthemostenrichingthingaboutonlinecourseswas
thecommunicationandcooperation thatdevelopedbetweenstudents, andsuggestedthatthe
onlinecoursesofferedshouldbegraduallyimprovedtomakethemmoreefficientandmotivating.
4. WebCT Platform: General description
WebCT (Course Tools)wasoriginallydevelopedbytheUniversityofBritishColumbia. ItisaVLEsystem
foronlinelearningandthepublicationofinteractivecourses. Itsmainfeaturesarestudenttutoring
* The interaction process via WebCT’s communication tools
Communication andinterrelationare possiblethroughtheuseofvarioussynchronous(real-time
communication)andasynchronous(communicationinadifferentspace-time)toolsavailableonthe
courses:e-mail, discussionboardsandchats.
1. E-mail:thistoolisverysimilartotheoneofferedbyanyserviceproviderortotheoneonany
computer. Thefundamentaldifferencebetweenitandothere-mailsystemsisthatitisonlyavailableto
studentsonthecourse. Itallowsdirect, privatecommunicationwiththerestofthevirtualcommunity.
2. Discussionboards:thisasynchronoustoolisaspacefordiscussingtopicsconnectedwiththe
subjectorcourse. Foreachcourse, thereareseveralboards;somearecreatedbydefaultandothers
thatarecreatedbysubjectlecturers.
3. Chats:allowsynchronouscommunication, whichfacilitatesinteractivesessions. Itisconsidered
tobe avery useful toolfor students topose questions toco-students, and toofferanswers to
questionsposedbyothers.
5. Objectives
Thisstudyexaminesparticipationinhigher-educationlifelonglearningcoursesentirelyundertaken
inVLEs. Themainaimistoestablishwhichaspectsofthecommunicationprocessaddqualityto
onlinecourses.
Thespecificobjectivesareasfollows:
– Tostudyparticipationandtheusethatlecturersandstudentsmakeofcommunicationtools
inonlinelifelonglearningcoursesatUNEDpublishedontheWebCT platform.
– Toanalysecommunicationtoolsused, andtheirusebylecturersononlinecourses.
– To perform a comparative study between online courses, taking account of recorded
participationandtheuseofcommunicationtoolsintegratedintothecourses.
– Toanalyse theimpactofthemethodology usedforcommunicationtools onstudentand
lecturerparticipationinonlinecourses.
6. Design and Methodology
6
.
1
.
Population/Sample
* Population
Thepopulationcomprises:lifelonglearningcoursespublishedontheWebCT platformandmade
availableonlinebyUNEDtovariouspublicinstitutionsfortrainingteachers;lecturersandtutorsof
UNED currently offers 159 coursesfor the Teacher Training Programme, 57in the Faculty of
Education. ThedataavailableonlifelonglearningcoursespublishedbyUNEDontheWebCT platform
arefor2004(coursetype, studentsandlecturers)andreferto:eightonlinelifelonglearningcourses
forteachers, and75externalcoursesmadeavailableonlinebyUNED, belongingtoexternalpublic
institutions.
* Sample
SampleselectionwasperformedonlifelonglearningcoursesmadeavailableonlinebyUNEDand
taught in theirentirety via theWebCT platform, irrespective of the fact that some face-to-face
informationsessionsareheld.
Courselecturershadtobeaskedfortheirpermissiontocarryouttheresearch. Itisimportantto
underscorethattheirpermissionleadstosomeconstraintsontheresearch:itisnotpossibletoname
thecourseortheinstitutionofferingit, ortodescribethecharacteristicsoftheusersortheidentity
ofthepeopleatwhomthecoursesareaimed.
ThesampleconsistsoffourlifelonglearningcoursespublishedonWebCT forgraduatesinany
educationalcycleingeneral, andteachersatvariouseducationallevelsinparticular, whosegoalis
tofurthertheiracademictraininginordertospecialiseinaspecific field:oneofthecoursesispartof
thelifelonglearningprogrammeatUNED, andtheotherthreeareofferedbyinstitutionsexternalto
theuniversity. Someoftheircharacteristicsaredescribedbelow:
1. Onlinecourse1:aUNEDlifelonglearningcourse. Comprisingsevensubjects.
2. Online course2: an external continuingeducation coursein social sciences, Institution A.
Comprisingsevensubjects.
3. Onlinecourse3:anexternalcontinuingeducationcourseinsocialsciences, InstitutionB.
4. Onlinecourse4:anexternalcontinuingeducationcourseinsocialsciences, InstitutionC.
Thesamplecomprisesthefollowingcourseusers:
R5 Lecturers:67:nineoncourse1;23oncourse2;32oncourse3;threeoncourse4.
R5 Tutors:40:sevenoncourse1;16oncourse2;14oncourse3;threeoncourse4.
R5 Students:2,063:118oncourse1;1,713oncourse2;199oncourse3;33oncourse4.
6
.
2
.
Design
A mixeddesignbasedonqualitative(contentanalysisofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardsand
6
.
3
.
Information
Gathering
T
echniques/Instruments:
Questionnaire
* WebCT “Track Students” tool
Using the“TrackStudents”tool, thefollowingdata weregatheredon studentsandlecturers:the
numberoftimestheyaccesseddiscussionboards, andthenumberofmessagessentandread.
* Communication tool
Communicationtoolactivitywasstudiedfromquantitativeandqualitativeperspectives.
– Quantitativereview:meannumberofdiscussionboardmessages, andmeannumberofe-mail
messagessentandread.
– Qualitativereviewofallcommunicationtoolsusedonthecourses:
r Useofdiscussionboardsande-mail:analysisoftoolorganisation, interactionandtopics covered.
r Useofchattool:space-timeorganisation.
* Data analysis using Excel and SPSS 17
* Content analysis technique
Inordertosystematisethestudyofdataobtained, someofthestepsrecommendedbyGarcíaLlamas,
GonzálezGalánandBallesterosVelásquez(2001)werefollowed, albeitwithamorequalitativefocus:
Thestepsfollowedwere:
1. Objectiveandsystematicreadingofinterviews.
2. Underscoringthemainaspectsindicated.
3. Identifyingcommonaspects.
4. Identifyingdistinguishingaspects.
5. Drawingconclusions.
6
.
4
.
Description
of
Research
Phases
Thedataanalysisprocesswasperformedgraduallythroughoutthe2006academicyear:
– Analysisofthenumberoftimesstudentsandlecturersaccessedtheonlinecourses, andthe
numberofmessagestheysentandread.
– Reviewofcommunicationtools:analysisofcommunicationtoolcontentandorganisation.
7. Results
7.1. Study of Participation in Online Courses
* Access comparison
Thetotalnumberoftimeseachregisteredstudentaccessedonlinecourseswas250.6. Theonlinecoursewiththehighest
recordedmeanwasonlinecourse1, withameanof2,291.1. Themeansfortherestofthecoursesweremuchlowerbyfar.
Insecondplacecameonlinecourse4, withameanof355.6. Themeanforonlinecourse3was163.3. Inlastplacecame
onlinecourse2, withameanof118.1.
* Comparison of communication tool use
* Student participation
The meannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardsforthefouronlinecourseswas2.91, whereasthe mean
numberofmessagessentbye-mailwas1.67.
Studentson onlinecourse1 used communicationtools themost (59.48messagessentby e-mail andposted to
discussionboardsperstudent). Therewasacleardifferencecomparedwiththerestofthestudents. Forthesestudents, the
meannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardswas42.92, andthemeannumberofmessagessentbye-mailwas
16.57. Eachstudentreadandsentameanof1,831.2messages.
Insecondplacecamethestudentsononlinecourses3and4, bothwithameannumberofmessagespostedto
discussionboards andsentbye-mailof1.7. Studentsoncourse3 sentmoree-mailmessages(amean of1.19)than
studentsoncourse4(ameanof0.6). Regardingstudentsoncourse4, itwasfoundthattheyuseddiscussionboardsmore
(ameanof42.4messages)thanstudentsoncourse3(ameanof14.5). Inlastplacecamethestudentsononlinecourses
2, withameannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardsandsentbye-mailof0.7. Studentsoncourse2(mean
of31.48)useddiscussionboardsmorethanstudentsononlinecourse3. Inshort, theresultsforonlinecourses2, 3and4
showthattheusestudentsmadeofcommunicationtoolswasminimal.
Ifthewholesampleistakenintoaccount, itcanbeconcluded, ingeneral, thatstudents’communicationtoolusewas
verylow. Inaddition, theyuseddiscussionboardsmorethane-mail, andreadmoremessagesthantheysent.
* Lecturer participation
Themeannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardsforthefouronlinecourseswas62.35, whereasthemean
numberofmessagessentbye-mailwas434.3.
Thecourselecturersandtutorswiththehighestparticipationwerethoseononlinecourse1. Themeannumberof
messagestheypostedtodiscussionboards(698.3)washigherthanthemeannumberofmessagessentbye-mail(256.5),
and, takingaccountofbothtools, themeannumberwas494.5. Therewasacleardifferencecomparedwiththerestof
theonlinecourses. Insecondplacecameonlinecourse2, withameannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboards
was279.1. Ascanbeseen, e-mailwasusedmoreoftenononlinecourse2thanononlinecourse1.
Inthirdplacecameonlinecourse3, withameannumberofmessagessentbye-mailandposted
todiscussionboardsof89.1, andamean numberofmessagessentbye-mailof101.7. However,
discussionboardswereusedverylittle(amean numberofmessagespostedof4.3). Inlastplace
cameonlinecourse4, withameannumberofmessagespostedtodiscussionboardsandsentby
e-mailof12.67. Theypostedeightmessagesadaytodiscussionboards, andsent4.6messagesaday
bye-mail.
Itcanbeconcludedthatlecturers’communicationtoolusewashigh. Ononlinecourses2, 3and
4, itwasfoundthatlecturersusede-mailmorethandiscussionboards, andonallthecoursesstudied,
lecturersreadmoreandparticipatedmoreoftenincommunicationtoolsthanstudentsdid.
* All user participation
Themeannumberofmessagessentviacommunicationtoolswas4.5. Therewasaverylowmean
numberofmessagessentbye-mailandpostedtodiscussionboardsbycourseusers. Onlinecourse
1usersparticipatedthemost(themeannumberofmessageswas58.24). Onlinecourse2hadavery
lowmeanof4.86. Inthirdandlastplaces, respectively, cameonlinecourse3(ameanof2.03)and4
(ameanof1.88).
7.2. Qualitative Study of Communication Tool Use
* Online course 1
Indiscussionboards, interactionwithstudentsbeganwithawelcomemessageinwhichthetutors
presentedthesubject. Studentsrepliedandthankedthemfortheirclarifications.
Discussion board organisation was customised according to the needs of the subject. All
subjectsfollowedthepatternofdiscussionboardorganisationthatWebCT offersbydefault:Main
andContent. Inaddition, newboardswerecreatedtoallowstudentstoposequestions, reflecton
discussiontopics, relatetoeachothervianon-academicboards, etc. Someoftheboardswereopen
throughoutthetutoringperiod;however, inmostcases, boardsforspecifictopicsorlearningunits
wereclosedonceinstructionfortheircontentwascomplete. Asaresult, studentscouldcarryon
readingmessagesbutcouldnotpostnewones.
Ingeneral, thediscussionboardsforonlinecourse1subjectswereorganisedbytopics, questions
andtranscriptionsofchatsessions. Thecordialtoneusedbytutorsandstudentswasoneofthemost
noteworthyfeaturesofthecommunicationprocessonthiscourse.
E-mailwasusedlessfortutorialsthandiscussionboardsandchatswere. However, ahighlevel
ofe-mailactivitywasfoundforsomeofthesubjects. Thetopicsdealtwithmostlybye-mailwere
thoserelatingtoproblemswithteachingmaterials, registration, specificrequests, examproblems,
technicalproblems, thejobbank, etc. Replieswerequick, cordialandfriendly. Lecturersrepliedto
Chatsessionswereheldweekly. Eachtutorwasobligedtoconvenestudentsonceaweek. These
tutorialsessionscoincidedwiththestudentsupportperiod. In thesechatsessions, thequestions
dealtwithwerethoseconnectedwiththetopicbeingstudiedthatweek. Accordingtothesession
records, we foundthat thesechats wereorganised andstructured in away thatallowed quick,
smoothinteraction. Subsequently, thetranscriptionandsummaryofeverythingcoveredinanonline
tutorialwerepostedtodiscussionboards.
Discussionboardswerecustomisedandadaptedtotheneedsofeachdisciplineandoftheusers.
Inshort, discussionboardswereorganisedasfollows:
– Welcomeandintroduction.
– Café:adiscussionboardsetasideforrelaxedcommunicationoutsidetheacademicsphere. It
stayedopenthroughouttheacademicperiodoftutoring.
– Questions:adiscussionboardforposingquestions. Itstayedopenthroughouttheacademic
periodoftutoring.
– News:aboardwherethetutorcouldpostmessagesannouncinganyrelevantnewsorevents.
A featureofthisdiscussionboardwasthatitwaspublicandclosed. Inotherwords, students
couldreadmessagesbutnotreplytothem.
– Educational unitX:therewasadiscussionboardforeachoftheeducationalunitsforming
partofthesyllabus. Theaimofitwastofosterdiscussionandthoughtonthecontentofthe
educationalunit. These discussionboardswereclosedasandwhentheinstructionforthe
educationalunitwascomplete. Asaresult, studentscouldcarryonreadingmessagesbut
couldnotpostnewones.
– Maindiscussionboard:forrelevantannouncementsandnewswrittenbythetutor. Inother
words, itwasclosed, sostudentscouldreadmessagesbutnotreplytothem.
Inaddition, ononlinecourse1, videoconferenceswereheldthroughoutthecourseforeachofthe
subjectsformingpartofit.
* Online course 2
Interaction between course users began with introduction and welcome messages posted to
discussionboards. Interactionbetweenstudentsdevelopedquickly;theyallintroducedthemselves
andcommentedontheirexperiencesofothersimilarcoursesthattheyhadtaken. Theseintroductions
wereusefultostudentsthathadnopreviousexperienceofdistancecoursesviaWebCT. Thelevelof
collaborationbetweenthemwasveryhigh.
ThepatternofdiscussionboardorganisationthatWebCT offersbydefaultwasfollowed:Main,
Contentand All. Thistoolwasusedtoposeacademicandtechnicalquestions. Generallyspeaking, it
canbesaidthattutorsrepliedtostudents’questions;however, becausetherewasadelayinreplying
– Introduction:allusersonthecourseintroducedthemselves, posedquestionsandcommented
onconcerns. Theymentionedtheprovincetheywerefrom, whatlineofworktheywerein,
theirexpectationsofthecourseandthepotentialdifficulties theymightcomeupagainst.
Studentswithpreviousexperienceofsimilarcoursesencouragedandguidedco-students.
– Questionsaboutexams:thedatetheywerebeingheld, theassessmentmethod, assessment
objectives, typeofexam, howtolookuptheirgrades, howtogetacertificate, howtolookup
co-students’grades, questionsthattheyfelthadbeenwronglycorrected, complaintsabout
theirgrades, troublesdoingtheexams, etc.
– Technicalquestions:theoperationofsomeofthefacilities, howtoaccesscertainresources,
breaksinsomelinks, connectionproblemsthatpreventedthemfromtakinganexam, how
longtheyhadtoaccesstotheonlinecourse, etc.
– Academicquestions:questionsaboutthecontentoftopicspresented.
Theydidnotusesynchronoustools, suchaschatsorvideoconferencing.
* Online course 3
Generally speaking, it was found that online course 3 users did not often use communication
tools. Inmanycases, participationindiscussionboardswasinitiatedbystudents, andthelecturer
subsequentlyrepliedtotheirquestions. Itwasalsofoundthattutorsandlecturersusediscussion
boardsande-mailindiscriminately:theydid notdistinguishbetweenthemostappropriatetypes
ofmessagesfordiscussionboards(topicsofinteresttoallusers)andfore-mail(personalmatters).
In someofthecoursesubjects, lecturersremovedthe“DiscussionBoard”tool, whichmeantthat
interrelations betweencoursememberswerelimitedtoe-mail. Thisloweredtheinteractionand
communicationpotential.
Inaddition, notopicsforreflectionwereintroducedondiscussionboards. Rather, thistoolwas
generallyusedonlytoanswerquestionsandsolvespecificproblems.
Tutorsdidnotofferanyguidanceoncommunicationtooluse, althoughitisworthnotingthat
studentsdidreceivespecifictechnicaltrainingbeforestartingacourse.
* Online course 4
ThepatternofdiscussionboardorganisationthatWebCT offersbydefaultwasfollowed:Mainand
Content. Nonewtopic-specificboardsorrelaxed-communicationboardswerecreated.
Interaction betweenstudentsbeganvia adiscussionboard. The respective modulelecturers
introduced themselves, welcomed students and presented the space-time organisation of the
programme(examdatesandmaterialsdistribution).
Studentsposedquestionsaboutcontentandassessmenttestsindiscussionboards, andlecturers
repliedimmediately. Lecturerstriedtogetstudentstoposemorequestionsaboutstudymaterials
andencouragedthemtostudyforandpassthecourse. Inaddition, thisspacewasusedtoannounce
Someofthetopicscoveredindiscussionboardswere:
– Introductionandwelcome:oneofthelecturerswelcomedstudentsandencouragedthemto
usediscussionboardsande-mail. Studentsintroducedthemselvesandgavetheirthanksfor
thewelcomegreeting.
– QuestionsaboutmoduleX:questionsaboutthecontentoftopicspresented.
– Pageerrata:lecturersinformedstudentsaboutmistakesoncontentpages.
– Questionsaboutexams:thedatetheywerebeingheld, theassessmentmethod, assessment
objectives, typeofexam, howtolookuptheirgrades, howtogetacertificate, howtolookup
co-students’grades, questionsthattheyfelthadbeenwronglycorrected, complaintsabout
theirgrades, troublesdoingtheexams, etc.
– Technicalquestions:howtoaccessanddownloadtheexam, connectionproblems, etc.
E-mailwasusedformatterssuchasposingquestionsandrequestingclarificationsaboutcontent,
assessmenttests, problemsdoinganexam/andortechnicalproblems.
8. Conclusions
ThestudyonthenumberoftimesstudentsaccessedtheVLEshowedacleardifferencebetween
onlinecourse1andtherestofthecourses. Themean numberoftimeseachregisteredstudent
accessedthisonlinecoursewas2,291.1. Insecondplacecameonlinecourse4, withameanof355.6;
inthirdplacecameonlinecourse3, withameanof163.6;andinlastplacecameonlinecourse2
withameanof118.1. Thestudyperformedoncommunicationtoolusealsoshowedasignificant
differencebetweenonlinecourse1andtherestofthecourses, sincetherewere, infact, inequalities.
Regardingthe comparativestudy ofstudent and lecturerparticipation in onlinecourses, we
areabletoassertthatstudentsoftenaccessedthecourses(thenumberoftimeseachregistered
studentaccessedthembeing250.6), butonceintheVLEtheydidnotoftenusecommunication
tools. However, thelecturersampleusedcommunicationtoolsmoreoften. Thedataarerevealing:
studentspostedameanof2.91messagestodiscussionboardsandsent1.67messagesbye-mail,
whereaslecturerspostedameanof62.35messagestodiscussionboardsandsent434.3messages
bye-mail. Therefore, itiscleartoseethatlecturersusedcommunicationtoolsmuchmoreoftenthan
studentsdid. Itisnecessarytoanalysewhy, despiteaccessinganonlinecourse, studentsdecide
nottousecommunicationtools. Thecomparativestudyofactivityrecordedontheonlinecourses
revealedsomeinterestingdata.
Thecomparativestudybetweentheonlinecoursesshowed, ingeneral, thatcourseusers, taking
studentsandlecturersasawhole, sentandpostedveryfewmessagesbye-mailandtodiscussion
boards. Onlinecourse1obtainedthebestresultsforparticipationandforcommunicationtooluse.
Itwasfoundthatstudentsandlecturersononlinecourse1participatedthemost, andtherewasa
Asalreadyindicatedinthedataanalysis, onlinecourse1hadthehighestmeanforparticipation
incommunicationtools(ameanof494.5messagesreadandsent), whichcontrastssignificantlywith
theresultsobtainedfortherestofthecourses:279.1ononlinecourse2;89.21ononlinecourse3;
and12.67ononlinecourse4. Inshort, onlinecourse1hadthehighestrecordedstudentandlecturer
participation. Thequalitativestudytellsuswhatthemostrelevantfeaturesofthecoursewere, which
mayexplainthedifferencebetweenitandtherestoftheonlinecourses.
Onlinecourse1wascharacterisedbythecustomisationandadaptationofdiscussionboardsto
therequirementsofthedisciplineandtheneedsofusers, andofferedawidevarietyofdiscussion
topics. Thequalitativeanalysisconfirmedthehighlevelofinvolvementthatlecturershadincourse
development. These lecturers interactedmore oftenwith students, repliedtostudents’requests
morequicklyandconstantlystrengthenedstudentparticipation. A wholehostofdiscussiontopics
werecoordinatedanddirectedbythelecturersinchargewithgreaterfrequencyandeffectiveness
thanthoseontheotherthreeonlinecoursesanalysed.
Onlinecourse 1 madethe bestuseof communicationtools. Itused allthe optionsthatthe
platformoffers:discussionboards, e-mail, chatsandvideoconferencing. Thecombinationoftools
usedfosteredaricher, moredynamiccommunicationprocessbetweencourseparticipants. Itwas
foundthattherestoftheonlinecoursesuseddiscussionboardsonlyand, inonecase, e-mailonly.
Notonlydidonlinecourse1recordamuchhigherparticipationthantherest, butalsothequalitative
analysisconfirmedthatgreatercarewastakenoveritsorganisationthantherest. Theeducational
methodologyusedinonlinecourse1fostereddialogueandanexchangeofinformationbetween
lecturersandstudents. Thestudents’commitmentandcollaborativeattitudeswerestrengthened,
andthiswasreflectedinahigherparticipationindiscussionboards, invideoconferenceattendance,
inchatinteractionandine-mailuse. Lecturersposedquestionsandsuggestedtopicsforreflection,
and managedtoachieve a smoothprocess ofsynchronous and asynchronouscommunication.
In short, thecommunicationprocessononlinecourse1was optimal. Via discussionboardsand
e-mail, theonlinecourseofferedawidevarietyofspecificeducationalguidance. Lecturerssupported
studentscloselyviathedifferentcommunicationtoolsavailable, thusallowingthemtoadapttheir
servicetothestudents’needs. Ontheotherthreeonlinecourses, itwasclearthattheseaspectswere
lessdeveloped.
Inshort, itwasfoundthatonlinecourse1madeanintegrateduseofthedifferentcommunication
tools, while the restof the coursesgenerallyshowed very littleinteraction. The communication
methodsuseddidnotmanagetodevelopallofthepotentialthattheplatformoffers. Indeed, there
weresignificant differences betweenthe courseswithregard tothe processof communication
itself. Overthewholeacademicperiod, studentparticipationinonlinecourse1wasstrengthened
viadiscussionboards, e-mailandchats, and videoconferenceswereheldthroughoutthecourse.
Courses2, 3and4madeverylittleuseofthepotentialthatcommunicationtoolsoffer(synchronous
andasynchronous), didnotusediscussionboardsveryoften, orchatsandvideoconferencingatall.
Ifwetakethesampleanalysedintoaccount, wecouldconcludethatcommunicationtoolusewas
notoptimal. Infact, itwasfoundthatthreeofthefourcoursesstudieddidnotoftenusediscussion
boards, e-mail, chats and/or videoconferencing. For courses 2, 3 and 4, a poorer educational
weresuggestedandstudents’questionswereanswered. Onthesecourses, itwasfoundthatlecturers
weremoreactiveindiscussionboardsthanononlinecourse4. Ingeneral, however, onthesethree
coursesitwouldbeadvisabletoenhancediscussionboardswithmorediscussiontopics, tofollow
-upmessagesinamuchmoredetailedmannerandtodevelopthecommunicationprocessbyusing
othertoolssuchasvideoconferencingandchats. Furthermore, agreaterinvolvementoflecturersin
theteachingprocesswouldoptimisecommunicationtooluseandstrengthenstudentparticipation.
Thereareclearexamplesoffairlyinappropriateinitiatives. Forexample, ononlinecourse3, lecturers
hadremovedthe“DiscussionBoard”toolandonlyusede-mail, whichmeantthatthesmoothness
ofcommunicationwasnotassuredandthatlecturerswereoverloadedwithwork. Therefore, onthe
threeonlinecourses2, 3and4, lecturershardlyparticipatedindiscussionboardsanddidnotofferany
synchronouscommunicationalternatives. A specificmethodologytofacilitatestudentparticipation
indiscussionboardswasnotfoundeither. Thesecharacteristicscouldenduphavinganimpacton
studentmotivationandinterestwhenitcomestocollaboratingonanonlinecourse.
The low student participation in communication tools is due, it would seem, to a poor or
inappropriateuseofdiscussionboardsande-mail. Thefactthate-mailwasusedforgeneral-interest
matters, aswasthecaseforonlinecourse3, hinderedcommunicationbetweenusers. Theexclusive
useofe-mailseverelylimitedthepotentialforcommunicationamongthegroup. E-mailismainly
forprivate communication, andforgeneral-interesttopicsitisconsideredessentialtouseatool
such as adiscussionboard toenablegroupparticipation. In addition, thelack ofreflectionand
discussionboardtopicsinmanycasescausedstudentstousediscussionboardstoposequestions
solelyaboutpractices(exams, problemsaccessingmaterials, grades, certificates, etc.), ratherthan
fostering collaboration and interaction between them. Consequently, it can be concluded that
hidingdiscussionboardore-mailtoolshindersinteractionandsmoothcommunicationbetween
thoseinvolvedintheteaching-learningprocess. Inaddition, onmostofthecoursesthechattoolwas
notused, whichlessenstheeducationalqualityoftheenvironments.
Inshort, thedataconfirmedthatonlinecourse1obtainedthebestresultsofallthecoursesin
thestudy, bothqualitativelyandquantitatively, forcommunication-toolactivityandplatform-access
activity. Themainconclusionthatwecandrawfromthisstudyisthattheeducationalmethodology
usedin thecommunicationprocesshas animpactonstudent participationin onlinecourses. A
well-organised, varied, coherentandconsistentcommunicationprocessthroughouttheacademic
yearencouragesstudentstoparticipatemoreofteninthecourse. Anexampleisonlinecourse1,
whereeffectivecommunicationthatmanagedtoinvolvestudentsintheteaching-learningprocess
wasfound. Thisisdemonstratedbythefactthattheyaccessedtheplatformmoreoften, andsent
andreadmoremessages. Consequently, qualityincommunicationprocessesinVLEshasadirect
impactononlineparticipation. Thewealthoftoolsused, apersonalisedservice, theadaptationof
thedesignandorganisationofcommunicationtoolstotheneedsofthedisciplineandofusers, as
wellasofferingavarietyofdiscussiontopics, coordinatinganddirectingthemeffectively, supporting
studentspersonallyandconstantly, andofferingquick, smoothinteractionare, together, themain
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