Citation
Tiene, Drew (2001) Online Discussions: A Survey of Advantages and Disadvantages Compared to Face-to-Face Discussions. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia,
9 (4), 369-382.
Review
The article reports on a new trend of online discussions in this new age of technology. It identified that class listservs are widely used to engage students with online discussions. The editorial analyzed many ideas and misconceptions of the world of asynchronous discussions. Instructors in a number of college classes are �using electronic communications to augment in-class discussions with an ongoing, online dialogue between students about class-related topics�. (Tiene, 2001, P.369) This article describes the findings of a study that collected survey data from sixty-eight college students who discussed a given set of topics, both online and face-to-face, over the course of a semester. After the end of the study, the participants were required to answer a twenty question survey questionnaire. For each of the twenty survey question, a Likert scale was used to asses the responses where ach item is given five choices: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, and strongly disagree. The survey was successful in answering a few rhetorical questions. It identified that there are critical differences between each mode of discourse and it was explained in three parts. �The most obvious difference between the two types of communications is the technical element involved in electronic discussions.� (Tiene, 2001, P.371) The technical element was not a major factor in regards to the study because although only five students out of sixty-eight subjects had never used e-mail before, they needed very little training. The survey indicated that �inexperience with online communications and the inconvenience associated with it were unlikely to be significant impediments for most of the subjects involved in the study.� (Tiene, 2001, P.373) The second aspect is the timing with which synchronous and asynchronous discussions are conducted. The subjects nearly unanimously favor asynchronous communications because they are allotted more time to respond to other students� comments. Lastly, the third factor is that contributions are written rather than spoken which affects the spontaneity of interaction. Although, participants felt strongly about the importance of �body language� and �facial expressions� they perceived it as an insignificant problem. In fact, some felt that online discussions allowed them to express themselves in a less inhibited manner.
Discussion
The article made many great references and aha�s for me. I enjoyed it very much because I now understand that it is okay for me to oppose asynchronous discussions. On our first day of class, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages of online learning and discussions. I am an open-minded individual where I can accept changes and test out the water. On that particular day, I felt neutral about the topic because I have not experienced online discussions in lieu of a class meeting . As time progresses, I soon realized that my opinions have changed dramatically. I much prefer synchronous meetings over asynchronous. I am an individual who likes the experience of learning through face-to-face interactions, which provides me the opportunity to learn from �body language, facial expressions, and visual cues�. (Tiene, 2001, P.377) It is more beneficial for me when I interact through synchronous collaboration rather than relying on asynchronous, which I feel tends to waver from time to time due to the order of the postings and disjointed comments. What I found difficult for me was to follow some of the discussions because they went on a tangent about other topics, disjointed conversations, and the sheer volume of the messages. I see more synthesis occurring during our synchronous collaboration opportunities. Also, due to the informal discussions I felt like we did not have the camaraderie through this class to get to know other individuals in this program. I did not enjoy the learning community forums because it was too easy for me to get lost in the myriad of forums available. As much as I despise online collaboration, I appreciate the fact that Dr. Newberry fairly distributed the synchronous and asynchronous meetings as a trial experience. Now, I can actually admit that I have been there and I have done that, and I preferred �online discussion as an addition to face-to face dialogue, not as a substitution for it�. (Tiene, 2001, P.381)