Instant Messaging

I was readng an article entitle, Socialization in the "virtual hallway": Instant messaging in the asynchronous Web-based distance education classroom, by Scott Nicholson (published in Internet and Higher Education, 2002).
The article probably won't win any rewards, but I found it somewhat interesting. The author made IM available to a class of 30 Masters students. Instant Messaging was not a requirement, which means that the study is biased by self-selection. Nonetheless, the key fndings were:

1. Thos students who chose to use IM were more likely to agree with the statement that they felt a sense of community with classmates
   
2. Those that used IM reported communicating more with fellow students than those who did not
   
3. Several students commented that they appreciated the ability to get immediate feedback from the instructor when both were online
   
4. The IM was used mainly for social communication, and less likely for communication about group work or classroom material
   
5. Several IM users found IM more friendly and warm than the planned out postings on the discussion board. - Some questioned IM's ability to facilitate learning and found it to be more for socializing.
   

:)

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