Belt Eric S, Lowenthal Patrick R
620 W. Lexington St, 21201 Baltimore, MD USA Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Maryland Baltimore.
1910 University Dr, Boise, Idaho, 83702 Idaho, USA Educational Technology, Boise State University.
Educ Inf Technol (Dordr). 2023;28(5):4941-4964. doi: 10.1007/s10639-022-11360-6. Epub 2022 Oct 27.
Historically, online instructors have primarily, if not solely, used asynchronous text-based communication to interact and communicate with students in online courses. However, despite this use, online instructors and students have expressed concerns and limitations with asynchronous communication. Research suggests that synchronous communication technology may address some of the limitations of asynchronous communication. Further, advances in synchronous video-based communication technology make it easier than ever to incorporate synchronous communication technology into online courses. However, comparatively, little is known about online instructors' experiences and perceptions of using synchronous communication technologies in online courses and how they think they can help with community development. The purpose of this study was to explore instructors' experiences and perceptions of synchronous communication technology. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 18 online instructors resulted in the following themes: (a) instructors use synchronous communication technology in multiple and various ways in online courses; (b) the perceived benefits of real-time visual communication outweigh the drawbacks identified; (c) the benefits of nonverbal communication depend on situational factors and how synchronous features are used; (d) productive and meaningful interaction requires intentional yet flexible facilitation during synchronous sessions; (e) synchronous sessions can provide a place for community to build and grow but they are not required for community development. Altogether, findings suggest that real-time visual communication may aid in community building in online courses but that its effectiveness depends on several situational factors, and that synchronous lecturing may be less conducive to developing classroom community in online courses. Results and future research directions are discussed.
从历史上看，在线教师在在线课程中与学生进行互动和交流时，主要（如果不是唯一的话）使用基于文本的异步通信。然而，尽管有这种应用，但在线教师和学生对异步通信表达了担忧和局限性。研究表明，同步通信技术可能会解决异步通信的一些局限性。此外，基于视频的同步通信技术的进步使得将同步通信技术纳入在线课程比以往任何时候都更容易。然而，相比之下，对于在线教师在在线课程中使用同步通信技术的经验和看法，以及他们认为这些技术如何有助于社区发展，人们了解得较少。本研究的目的是探讨教师对同步通信技术的经验和看法。对18名在线教师进行的半结构化访谈的主题分析得出了以下主题：（a）教师在在线课程中以多种方式使用同步通信技术；（b）实时视觉通信的感知好处超过了所发现的缺点；（c）非语言通信的好处取决于情境因素以及同步功能的使用方式；（d）富有成效和有意义的互动需要在同步课程期间进行有意但灵活的引导；（e）同步课程可以为社区的建立和发展提供一个场所，但社区发展并不需要同步课程。总之，研究结果表明，实时视觉通信可能有助于在线课程中的社区建设，但其有效性取决于几个情境因素，并且同步授课可能不太有利于在线课程中课堂社区的发展。讨论了研究结果和未来的研究方向。
