Open AccessStudent Perceptions of Asynchronous Computer‐Mediated Communication in Face‐to‐Face Courses
Author(s) -
An YunJo,
Frick Theodore
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00023.x
Subject(s) - asynchronous communication , face to face , computer mediated communication , perception , face (sociological concept) , computer science , face to face interaction , psychology , mathematics education , multimedia , human–computer interaction , communication , world wide web , sociology , telecommunications , the internet , social science , philosophy , epistemology , neuroscience
While there are many distance education studies of student satisfaction or perceptions of CMC, studies on residential student perceptions of CMC are rare. A paper survey was administered to 105 residential graduate and undergraduate students at a midwestern U.S. university. Results indicated that the majority of students preferred face‐to‐face discussion over CMC for most tasks; however, CMC was preferred overall for simple learning tasks. Content analyses of student responses to open‐ended questions revealed that some students perceived face‐to‐face discussion to be faster, easier, and more convenient, while others perceived that CMC saves time and is more convenient. A discriminant analysis revealed several important factors that predicted those who preferred CMC for discussion. Students further commented that they would learn better from CMC if their instructors were more involved with and enthusiastic about CMC. Speed and convenience appear to be more important to students than whether discussion is face‐to‐face or CMC .