Designing a Virtual Classroom
1/24/13
Designing a Virtual Classroom
Reprints of Invited papers for:
1995 International Conference on Computer Assisted Instruction ICCAI'95
March 7-10, 1995 National Chiao Tung University Hsinchu, Taiwan
Designing a Virtual Classroom [TM]
Murray Turoff Department of Computer and Information Science New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark NJ, 07102, USA murray@eies.njit.edu
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the software functionality that has evolved over the past two decades of research in Computer Mediated Communications at NJIT to create a Virtual Classroom[TM] to support distance education. Based upon many years of evaluating the effectiveness of this approach to remote education we also summarize our views about the software functionality needed for further improvement of this approach to distance education.
1. INTRODUCTION
Fundamental to Computer Mediated Communication systems is the concept of being able to utilize the capabilities of a computer to tailor a human communication process to the nature of the application and the nature of the group undertaking this application (Hiltz & Turoff, 1978, 1993; Turoff, 1991). In this context we consider electronic mail to be only one specific example of this technology and various Computer Conferencing Systems, Group Decision Support Systems, Electronic Meeting Systems, etc., to all be other examples. The specific issue addressed here is how to tailor specific functionality to allow a group of instructors and students to carry out the learning process in an electronic virtual environment that is meant to replace the physical class environment. Our objective is not to merely duplicate the characteristics and effectiveness of the face to face class. Rather, we can use the powers of the computer to actually do better than what normally occurs in the face to face class. The sophistication and flexibility of software structures for supporting distance education vary widely, from simple electronic mail
Designing a Virtual Classroom
Reprints of Invited papers for:
1995 International Conference on Computer Assisted Instruction ICCAI'95
March 7-10, 1995 National Chiao Tung University Hsinchu, Taiwan
Designing a Virtual Classroom [TM]
Murray Turoff Department of Computer and Information Science New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark NJ, 07102, USA murray@eies.njit.edu
ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the software functionality that has evolved over the past two decades of research in Computer Mediated Communications at NJIT to create a Virtual Classroom[TM] to support distance education. Based upon many years of evaluating the effectiveness of this approach to remote education we also summarize our views about the software functionality needed for further improvement of this approach to distance education.
1. INTRODUCTION
Fundamental to Computer Mediated Communication systems is the concept of being able to utilize the capabilities of a computer to tailor a human communication process to the nature of the application and the nature of the group undertaking this application (Hiltz & Turoff, 1978, 1993; Turoff, 1991). In this context we consider electronic mail to be only one specific example of this technology and various Computer Conferencing Systems, Group Decision Support Systems, Electronic Meeting Systems, etc., to all be other examples. The specific issue addressed here is how to tailor specific functionality to allow a group of instructors and students to carry out the learning process in an electronic virtual environment that is meant to replace the physical class environment. Our objective is not to merely duplicate the characteristics and effectiveness of the face to face class. Rather, we can use the powers of the computer to actually do better than what normally occurs in the face to face class. The sophistication and flexibility of software structures for supporting distance education vary widely, from simple electronic mail