THE PROMISE OF POWERFUL, INEXPENSIVE PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN EDUCATION has created a vision of classrooms transformed into global learning communities. Workstations are changing the learning environment for traditional students in the context of the traditional classroom. Technology has also improved distance education through increased interactivity and improved feedback processes that enable a more collaborative environment. By combining technologies educators hope they can successfully recreate the classroom atmosphere in the distance context. However there is still too much mediation in computer mediated communication to achieve the dream of true global learning communities. Current technology fails to provide the most important component of learning: social interactions.

Defining the "ideal" learning environment is difficult, especially if one style or medium is favored over another. Many current users of distance learning may prefer the independent context of the technological environment, however there is clear evidence that socialization is important for learning (Moore, 1996). Non-verbal cues from instructors and other students can help identify and intensify individual learning (Micas, 1996). In the classroom environment, computer aided multimedia presentations help the instructor reach students with various learning styles, yet the synergistic effect of the classroom "conversation" stimulating cue-attendance cannot be underestimated.

Prior to computer mediated learning, distance education occurred over space and time. Information was delivered to the learner, who completed the work and returned it to the instructor, and feedback was sent in the form of written replies separated from the learning event in time spans of days or weeks. Computer technology has done much to shift distance education from an intensely individual experience to one that allows shared, even collaborative, work (Micas, 1996). In fact there is a whole discipline rooted in constructivist theory on "computer supported collaborative work." (Romiszowski, 1996). Technologies can be broken into two basic categories; asynchronous work, in which communication does not occur in "real-time" and synchronous, where work is done over networks in "real-time". Asynchronous technologies include traditional correspondence courses, e-mail, database and message boards. There are advantages to asynchronous learning, especially when hypermedia is used. Learners are able to review in depth the materials, compose critical responses and attend to the learning with a level of comfort and confidence. Synchronous technologies include various "chat" applications, streaming audio and streaming video. These media allow for more collaborative work, brainstorming and more constructivist learning.

Given the advantages of both asynchronous and synchronous applications, it only makes sense to combine them in one form or another. The best of these products allow several collaborative applications to occur in one "space". They may have message threads, synchronous chat, audio streaming and document exchange all in one application. By bundling the separate applications into one workspace, the learner has more focus on the subject, and is more likely to be sharing the same information with other learners. They are designed to allow users to access a collaborative learning environment without special software and little configuration.

At the most basic level, applications such as San Diego State University's Blackboard allow static collaboration and information sharing. coMentor is an example of a basic dynamic application, designed for collaborative work between educators and learners in a structured environment. Teamwave Workplace on the other hand, is an example of a robustly dynamic application, designed to maximize the work of the participants through real-time white board collaboration as well as "focused" work areas. These applications are not the only ones on the Internet, but they are good examples of the range of collaborative technology.

It should be pointed out that "synchronous" may be a misleading term when describing the electronically mediated learning environment. Though all learners/teachers may be on the network at the same time, and immediate feedback is possible, unless all users have audio or video streams the communication process is actually a simplex process. Thoughts can not be shared until they are completed and sent, which restricts multiple users from enjoying the unspoken energy created in a conference environment. While this point may appear to be trivial, consider how much more quickly problems are solved in a truly synchronous environment that supports duplex conversation. Another important consideration is the level of effort it takes to share an idea through "chat." The idea must be formed, then typed, then evaluated - often out of context given the time between creation and expression. It is unlikely that a learner will explore the nuances of an idea that is similar, which has already posted for discussion.

Computer supported collaborative workspaces hold significant potential to change distance education radically. The contemporary CSCW environment is still most effective for the learner who is self-directed, and does not provide the robust learning environment of a classroom. As broadband access and multimedia hardware become more affordable, the opportunity for true duplex, synchronous learning will expand. Currently, the trends towards this standard can be found in the entertainment applications of the Internet, rather than in the educational applications. It remains to be seen whether academia has the patience and the vision to drive the technology.

Moore, D. M., Burton, J. K., & Myers, R. J. (1996). Multiple-channel communication: The theoretical and research foundations of multimedia. In Jonassen, D. (Ed.), Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology (pp. 851-875). New York: Macmillan Library References. 
Micas, M., & Gunawardena, C. (1996) Distance Education. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.) Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. New York. Simon & Schuster Macmillan,.403-437. 
Romiszowski, A., & Mason, R. (1996) Computer Mediated Communication. In D.H. Jonassen (Ed.) Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. New York. Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 438–456. 
Andrew Kirwin