It's not so easy: researching the complexity of Emergent Participant Roles and Awareness in Asynchronous Networked Learning Discussions

De Laat, Maarten F. and Lally, Vic (2004) It's not so easy: researching the complexity of Emergent Participant Roles and Awareness in Asynchronous Networked Learning Discussions. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 20 (3), 165-171.

Abstract

In this paper, we explore some of the complexities of emergent role development and group awareness among participants in an asynchronous Networked Learning discussion in a higher education context. We used content analysis to provide participant profiles for learning and tutoring processes within a group of collaborating professionals. Using these we selected three distinct student participants with whom we then conducted critical event recall. Our findings suggest how distinct roles emerge, and how they effect the group dynamics. They show the importance of group process awareness, and how this may be used and developed by participants. Some implications for pedagogical and software design are discussed.

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