Tags

Type your tag names separated by a space and hit enter

A synchronous communication experiment within an online distance learning program: a case study.
Telemed J E Health. 2005 Oct; 11(5):583-93.TJ

Abstract

Student-teacher and student-student interactions in purely asynchronous distance learning courses are much lacking compared to similar interactions found in face-to-face teaching, causing learners to experience feelings of isolation, thus reducing motivation and increasing dropout rates. We used PalTalk, an Internet text and audio chat client from AVM Software, Inc. (New York, NY), to offer our students live virtual classroom sessions within a unit of our online distance learning M.Sc. program in Healthcare Informatics. On-demand replays of audio excerpts from the sessions were also provided to accommodate absenteeism and for student review. Five students completed an evaluation questionnaire. Our results highlighted the potential merits of using synchronous conferencing to assist in fostering a sense of belonging to one supportive learning community among distance learners and improve educational outcomes. Students were very positive toward the real-time human interaction and voted for a 95/5 (asynchronous/synchronous percentages) blended delivery approach for a typical unit in our program. They also praised PalTalk's voice quality and ease of use. This paper presents educational and technological perspectives about this experiment in the form of a state-of the- art review, without intending to be statistically rigorous. However, robust research evidence is still required to convince educators fully about the benefits of synchronous communication tools and help them decide on the most suitable solutions for their particular circumstances.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Boulos MN
School for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK. M.N.K.Boulos@bath.ac.uk
Taylor AD
No affiliation info available
Breton A
No affiliation info available

MeSH

Attitude to ComputersCommunicationComputer-Assisted InstructionEducation, DistanceEducational MeasurementEducational TechnologyFemaleHumansInternetMaleOnline SystemsSensitivity and Specificity

Pub Type(s)

Comparative Study
Journal Article
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

16250823

Citation

Boulos, Maged N Kamel, et al. "A Synchronous Communication Experiment Within an Online Distance Learning Program: a Case Study." Telemedicine Journal and E-health : the Official Journal of the American Telemedicine Association, vol. 11, no. 5, 2005, pp. 583-93.
Boulos MN, Taylor AD, Breton A. A synchronous communication experiment within an online distance learning program: a case study. Telemed J E Health. 2005;11(5):583-93.
Boulos, M. N., Taylor, A. D., & Breton, A. (2005). A synchronous communication experiment within an online distance learning program: a case study. Telemedicine Journal and E-health : the Official Journal of the American Telemedicine Association, 11(5), 583-93.
Boulos MN, Taylor AD, Breton A. A Synchronous Communication Experiment Within an Online Distance Learning Program: a Case Study. Telemed J E Health. 2005;11(5):583-93. PubMed PMID: 16250823.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - A synchronous communication experiment within an online distance learning program: a case study. AU - Boulos,Maged N Kamel, AU - Taylor,Andrea D, AU - Breton,Alice, PY - 2005/10/28/pubmed PY - 2006/1/7/medline PY - 2005/10/28/entrez SP - 583 EP - 93 JF - Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association JO - Telemed J E Health VL - 11 IS - 5 N2 - Student-teacher and student-student interactions in purely asynchronous distance learning courses are much lacking compared to similar interactions found in face-to-face teaching, causing learners to experience feelings of isolation, thus reducing motivation and increasing dropout rates. We used PalTalk, an Internet text and audio chat client from AVM Software, Inc. (New York, NY), to offer our students live virtual classroom sessions within a unit of our online distance learning M.Sc. program in Healthcare Informatics. On-demand replays of audio excerpts from the sessions were also provided to accommodate absenteeism and for student review. Five students completed an evaluation questionnaire. Our results highlighted the potential merits of using synchronous conferencing to assist in fostering a sense of belonging to one supportive learning community among distance learners and improve educational outcomes. Students were very positive toward the real-time human interaction and voted for a 95/5 (asynchronous/synchronous percentages) blended delivery approach for a typical unit in our program. They also praised PalTalk's voice quality and ease of use. This paper presents educational and technological perspectives about this experiment in the form of a state-of the- art review, without intending to be statistically rigorous. However, robust research evidence is still required to convince educators fully about the benefits of synchronous communication tools and help them decide on the most suitable solutions for their particular circumstances. SN - 1530-5627 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/16250823/A_synchronous_communication_experiment_within_an_online_distance_learning_program:_a_case_study_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -