An Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) is a Computer-Mediated
Communication System designed to support "anytime/anywhere" interaction among
students and between students and instructors. A field experiment compared groups and
individuals solving an ethical case scenario, with and without an ALN, to determine the
separate and joint effects of communication medium and teamwork. Undergraduate students
in Computers and Society analyzed the case as an assignment in the course. Dependent
variables include quality of the reports, learning as measured by similar cases on the final
exam, and subjective perceptions of learning.
The results indicate that working in a group, instead of alone, tends to increase
motivation, perception of learning and solution satisfaction. Individuals working online
produced higher quality reports on the ethics scenario than individuals working manually,
and computer-supported groups produced the longest reports, while individuals working
manually produced the shortest reports. Regarding group conditions, manual teams
reported significantly higher levels of process satisfaction, perception of process structure
and perception of discussion quality than teams supported by an asynchronous
communication medium. However, computer-supported groups reported the highest levels
of perceived learning. Finally, perception of collaborative learning does not seem to be
affected by the use of the medium; both supported and unsupported groups perceived about
the same levels of collaborative learning.Information Systems Working Papers Serie
