Browse Theses

This study sought to understand how teachers from different cultures, i.e., Canada and England, learned to collaborate in a computer mediated communications environment. Groups of teachers formed groups through a face-to-face meeting and then worked together in a CMC environment to design common learning experiences for their students. Insights into how the process of collaboration developed in CMC were gained through a qualitative case study in which data were collected through interviews, email dialogue, a survey, and the researcher's journal and field notes.

Analysis of the case data showed that: (1) the newly formed groups, working in a CMC environment, worked through a series of group functioning stages, (2) teachers in the Project thought it was important to know the group members well and that face-to-face interaction helped with this, (3) the newly formed groups working in a CMC environment were influenced by the new collaborative relationship as well as the computer technology and therefore required additional time to complete tasks, (4) easy access to computers for emailing was necessary, (5) the groups of teachers collaborating in a CMC environment successfully collaborated to create a product, (6) establishing situations in which groups of teachers collaborate through CMC can effect change in the teaching/learning environment, (7) differences between educational issues and structures imposed on individual group members impacted on group members' ability to collaborate in CMC, and (8) the extent to which cultural diversity manifests itself was unresolved due to the similarities of the English and Canadian cultures. Slight differences in holidays impacted somewhat on the flow of email dialogue.

The implication for change endeavours is that collaboration in a CMC environment can be an effective change strategy. Teachers in the two case studies emerged from the Project with confidence in their abilities to collaborate in a CMC environment and to continue to, through this medium, productively create/design learning experiences for their students. Participants found it difficult to work in a CMC environment. Their work demanded careful planning and extensive support.