ABSTRACT
Understanding the student perspective Throughout the various cases described in this book, a common feature is the wealth of data produced when students are asked to supply their experiences of learning. When presenting these data, the findings are often presented in different ways for different audiences throughout the dissemination phase of a project. One approach to presenting our findings that generated particular interest amongst audiences was the collection of Things students learnt from the online synchronous collaboration that were basic online communication skills. We had, actually, made the erroneous assumption that they were self-evident. In summary, these were:
• Not breaking off for private conversations. In some cases, students report the participants at other sites muting their microphones in order to have private conversations. This would not be acceptable in a face-to-face meeting and so seems very odd that students would do it in a videoconferencing situation. One personal reflection by a student stated that “In some of the early meetings we had, there was some conflict . . . over how to proceed with certain points particularly with the information we were given. This did cause some tension particularly when microphones were muted and private discussions could be seen on the screen. Some students however felt that this was acceptable behaviour and saw it as a benefit of using videoconferencing. However, this act did create a division between team members who were collaborating online and so had a negative impact on the level of trust.”
