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Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena

Bio: Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena is an academic researcher from University of New Mexico. The author has contributed to research in topics: Distance education & Instructional design. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 66 publications receiving 6097 citations.


Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper examined how effective social presence is as a predictor of overall learner satisfaction in a text-based medium and found that social presence alone contributed about 60% of this variance, suggesting that it may be a very strong predictor of satisfaction.
Abstract: Based on the GlobalEd inter‐university computer conference, this study examined how effective “social presence” is as a predictor of overall learner satisfaction in a text‐based medium. The stepwise regression analysis converged on a three‐predictor model revealing that social presence (the degree to which a person is perceived as “real” in mediated communication), student perception of having equal opportunity to participate, and technical skills accounted for about 68% of the explained variance. Social presence alone contributed about 60% of this variance, suggesting that it may be a very strong predictor of satisfaction. Reliability data on the social presence scale is provided. The results also indicated that participants who felt a higher sense of social presence enhanced their socio‐emotional experience by using emoticons to express missing nonverbal cues in written form. These findings have implications for designing academic computer conferences where equal attention must be paid to desig...

1,794 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new model based on grounded theory building for analyzing the quality of CMC interactions and learning experiences is proposed and developed after proposing a new definition of “interaction” for the CMC context and after analyzing interactions that occurred in a Global Online Debate.
Abstract: This study attempts to find appropriate interaction analysis/content analysis techniques that assist in examining the negotiation of meaning and co-construction of knowledge in collaborative learni...

1,578 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined whether social presence is largely an attribute of the communication medium or users' perception of the medium and concluded that the kind of interactions that take place between the participants, and the sense of community that is created during the conference, that will impact participants' perceptions of CMC as a social medium.
Abstract: This paper examines research on social presence theory and the implications for analyzing interaction, communication, collaborative learning, and the social context of computermediated communication (CMC). Two studies that examined whether social presence is largely an attribute of the communication medium or users’ perception of the medium are discussed. It can be concluded from the results that even though CMC is considered to be a medium that is low in social context cues, it can be perceived as interactive, active, interesting, and stimulating by conference participants. However, it is the kind of interactions that take place between the participants, and the sense of community that is created during the conference, that will impact participants’ perceptions of CMC as a “social” medium. Therefore, the impetus falls upon the moderators of computer conferences to create a sense of online community in order to promote interaction and collaborative learning.

1,131 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a theoretical framework for building online communities of practice was proposed for collaborative knowledge creation utilizing Web 2.0 tools. But the framework was not applied to the problem domain.
Abstract: This paper proposes a theoretical framework as a foundation for building online communities of practice when a suite of social networking applications referred to as collective intelligence tools are utilized to develop a product or solutions to a problem. Drawing on recent developments in Web 2.0 tools, research on communities of practice and relevant theories of learning, and the authors' own action research experience in collaborative knowledge creation utilizing Web 2.0 tools, this paper discusses a learning community's spiraling process as it moves from a given sociocultural context through discourse, action, reflection, and reorganization toward socially mediated metacognition. Un cadre theorique pour construire des communautes de pratique en ligne en utilisant des outils de maillage social Cet article propose un cadre theorique sur lequel edifier des communautes de pratique en ligne lorsqu'on utilise, pour mettre au point un produit ou des solutions a un probleme, une serie d'applications destinees...

336 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Garrison et al. as discussed by the authors examined the relationship between peer interaction and learning outcomes by creating and testing through structural equation modeling a model of five variables (learner characteristics measured by self-construal, perceived teaching style, task design, course requirements, and prior CMC experience).
Abstract: Our pervasive adoption of CMC in higher education has far outpaced our understanding of the nature of CMC and, accordingly, how this medium should best be used to promote higher‐order learning (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7–23, 2001). Therefore, this study examined the relationship between peer interaction and learning outcomes by creating and testing through structural equation modeling a model of five variables—learner characteristics measured by self‐construal, perceived teaching style, task design, course requirements, and prior CMC experience—that influence self‐reported peer interaction and self‐reported learning outcomes. The results showed that perceived teaching style had a small direct effect (0.23) and prior CMC experience had a moderate direct effect (0.31) on self‐reported peer interaction; self‐reported peer interaction had a strong direct effect (0.66) on self‐reported learning outcomes.

162 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that computer conferencing has considerable potential to create a community of inquiry for educational purposes and should be used as a medium for this purpose.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide conceptual order and a tool for the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and computer conferencing in supporting an educational experience. Central to the study introduced here is a model of community inquiry that constitutes three elements essential to an educational transaction—cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. Indicators (key words/phrases) for each of the three elements emerged from the analysis of computer-conferencing transcripts. The indicators described represent a template or tool for researchers to analyze written transcripts, as well as a guide to educators for the optimal use of computer conferencing as a medium to facilitate an educational transaction. This research would suggest that computer conferencing has considerable potential to create a community of inquiry for educational purposes.

4,976 citations

01 May 2009
TL;DR: The meta-analysis of empirical studies of online learning found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction, and suggests that the positive effects associated with blended learning should not be attributed to the media, per se.
Abstract: A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened these studies to find those that (a) contrasted an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information to calculate an effect size. As a result of this screening, 51 independent effects were identified that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction. The difference between student outcomes for online and face-to-face classes—measured as the difference between treatment and control means, divided by the pooled standard deviation—was larger in those studies contrasting conditions that blended elements of online and face-to-face instruction with conditions taught entirely face-to-face. Analysts noted that these blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions. This finding suggests that the positive effects associated with blended learning should not be attributed to the media, per se. An unexpected finding was the small number of rigorous published studies contrasting online and face-to-face learning conditions for K–12 students. In light of this small corpus, caution is required in generalizing to the K–12 population because the results are derived for the most part from studies in other settings (e.g., medical training, higher education).

3,114 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a practical approach to assess the nature and quality of critical discourse and thinking in a computer conference is described, where a model of a critical community of inquiry frames the research.
Abstract: This article describes a practical approach to judging the nature and quality of critical discourse in a computer conference. A model of a critical community of inquiry frames the research. A core concept in defining a community of inquiry is cognitive presence. In turn, the practical inquiry model operationalizes cognitive presence for the purpose of developing a tool to assess critical discourse and reflection. The authors present encouraging empirical findings related to an attempt to create an efficient and reliable instrument to assess the nature and quality of critical discourse and thinking in a text‐based educational context. Finally, the authors suggest that cognitive presence (i.e., critical, practical inquiry) can be created and supported in a computer‐conference environment with appropriate teaching and social presence.

2,413 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper examined how effective social presence is as a predictor of overall learner satisfaction in a text-based medium and found that social presence alone contributed about 60% of this variance, suggesting that it may be a very strong predictor of satisfaction.
Abstract: Based on the GlobalEd inter‐university computer conference, this study examined how effective “social presence” is as a predictor of overall learner satisfaction in a text‐based medium. The stepwise regression analysis converged on a three‐predictor model revealing that social presence (the degree to which a person is perceived as “real” in mediated communication), student perception of having equal opportunity to participate, and technical skills accounted for about 68% of the explained variance. Social presence alone contributed about 60% of this variance, suggesting that it may be a very strong predictor of satisfaction. Reliability data on the social presence scale is provided. The results also indicated that participants who felt a higher sense of social presence enhanced their socio‐emotional experience by using emoticons to express missing nonverbal cues in written form. These findings have implications for designing academic computer conferences where equal attention must be paid to desig...

1,794 citations

Book ChapterDOI
19 Dec 2005

1,788 citations