ABSTRACT
As higher education technologies have become more interactive and collaborative (Harasim, 1993; Koschmann, 1994), new opportunities for apprenticing preservice teachers in mentoring techniques, project-based learning, and global collaboration have emerged. In the midst of this technology proliferation, there is increasing attention on evaluating the impact of these tools on the learning process (Riel, 1993). Initial attempts to monitor social interaction and learning in traditional and electronic forms of communication have found that teachers in electronically networked classes assist and interact more with students, especially those less able, than do teachers in traditional learning situations (Hartman et al., 1991). However, comparisons among nontraditional electronic learning environments such as electronic mail (E-mail), bulletin boards, and groupware systems remain scant (Klemm & Snell, 1994). Because minimal direction exists for understanding how electronic communication and collaboration tools impact the learning process, there are calls to create new instruments for in-depth analyses of message content that can clarify the varied patterns of participation, interaction, and reflective processing fostered by these tools (Henri, 1992).
