Re: survey about online communities and collaborative learning

Hello. My name is Raquel de Castro. I'm a postgraduate student at the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. I am currently conducting a
survey about the possibilities and constraints of technology use. I am
interested in looking at networked communication, with special regard
to online communities (like CYBALIST) and collaborative learning.

I would be deeply grateful if you would take some time to answer some
questionnaires. You will be able to answer them in less than 20 minutes.
http://ppgcomufjf.bem-vindo.net/enquetes/index.php?sid=47

Thank you very much.
Best, Raquel

PS: if don't want to answer the entire survey, could you please just
answer those questions bellow and send to my email
raquelcdecastro@...? (Thank you in advance)

* What does "online community" mean to you? And, what does it mean to
you to belong to this one?

A group of people with a common interest who want to exchange ideas

* What unique experiences can an online community provide in order to
help you learn better, in comparison to other formats of professional
learning, such as face-to-face workshops, seminars, accredited courses
etc?

Searchable archives, ability to join/leave forum at will

* What other factors might affect (both stimulate and constrain) the
way you interact online (in contrast to face-to-face contact)?

Lack of knowledge about the academic credentials of the other users of the forum

* As a reader, what do you experience when reading email texts or
forum messages through a computer screen rather than through a
face-to-face situation? (e.g., hearing voices, seeing words, etc.)

Lack of non-verbal information – gestures etc

* What crucial factors do you think will determine whether or not an
online community is sustainable?

The credentials and credibility of the participants

* Would you consider your online community a sustainable one (e.g.,
ongoing for a period of time)? If so, in what ways? If not, why not?

Yes – it seems to attract a high level of professional historical linguists

* Have you changed personally and/or professionally as a result of
your participation in your online community? If so, what are the
changes and what factors do you think caused you to change? If not so,
please speculate as to why not?

Not really – I have always been interested in historical linguistics

* What kind of CMC dialogues can you recall taking place which had a
significant impact on the community, and your own learning. Which
others had/have the least impact?

There have been some interesting threads on specific topics

* Thinking of your own online participation, have you done anything
with a view to specifically supporting other colleagues? If so, what
was it? If not, why not?

Not really – I am not a professional academic at the moment

* Please list some of the most relevant positive aspects and negative
aspects of your community CMC.

One contributor appears to be a rather aggressive amateur, but the others appear to be more credible

* Use a word or a phrase to describe your online community.

A forum for discussing historical linguistics, specifically Indo-European studies

* Would you let Raquel de Castro speak to you again for some follow-up
dialogue? (No/Yes - please write your Skype ID)

Yes – feel free – martin_walder@... (Skype/MSN and emai)

 

I wish you luck, and if you ever wish to visit the UK, I would be delighted to meet you.

Martin Walder