Implementing CMC
You may have a variety of reasons for introducing CMC resources for students on their courses. These could be pragmatic - distributed class, need for common 'workspace', availability of adequate technological resources, mixed timetable demands across a student group - or pedagogical, offering perceived benefits for student learning through 'virtual' written discussion.
Critical factors for success are the integration of the communication resource within the programme, and its relevance to programme objectives which should be clearly understood and agreed by all concerned. Whether, and how, discussion topics and task activities relate to course outcomes and procedures influence the ways in which your learners use the resource. If online communication skills are themselves a learning outcome, then feedback on performance is critical. It may be, however, that the value gained by your students from the resource will differ for active and passive participants and you will need to acknowledge and respect this.
Practical issues are important. Individual participants, your students and yourself, need easy access to the resource whether working through local area networks, or a modem at home. The resource functions and navigation should be transparent and intuitive - the effort to communicate should be towards expression of ideas rather than mastery of technology. Taking space to familiarise the learning group with the software is sensible, though it is important that the tasks set to achieve this are usefully related to their social needs within the learning context of the resource.
Other issues relevant to general educational provision apply particularly for CMC. Learning support and access for physically and socially disadvantaged groups, ethics of practice, copyright and plagiarism, privacy, confidentiality and data protection need to be considered in line with national and institutional policy and the special constraints of the online context. Guidelines for various levels of learner and case illustrations from a range of learning contexts can be accessed and reviewed through the resources section.
Broad tips for implementation:
Allow space, time and relevant resources for familiarisation and grounding the group.
A getting-to-know you session can be a good way in, sharing experience, motivations, worries. If possible, face-to-face then hands-on, if not then make this the first online exercise.
If the students would like to, provide a 'photo-space'.
As soon as is sensible, engage tasks round the learning content and intended outcomes of the course.
Share purpose, agree rules and roles, and review these as the course continues.
Evaluate process and outcomes against plans.
