<P class=abstract>This paper describes and quantifies the role of group facilitation in an experiential, real-time, online, university level credit course entitled eAHSC/230 Interpersonal Communications and Relations. A new and unique group interaction pattern called parallel communication, as well as classical elements of group interaction are described and quantified. New measures of online group facilitation attributes with analogous face-to-face (F2F) counterparts are presented. Specifically, the impact of effective group facilitation on Attentiveness, on Interaction, on Involvement, and on Participation is explored. The paper also examines the eClassrom&rsquo;s potential effectiveness as a real time teaching and training laboratory which also functions as a process observation tool that collects and feeds back interaction data, providing teachers and trainers immediate and ongoing measures of facilitation effectiveness.</P>

Two sections of an interpersonal skills building university course were observed for the purposes of this matched study. The face-to-face (F2F) section was in a classroom on the Concordia University campus in Montreal, Canada, while the non-turn-taking real-time online section used a Web application, LBD eClassroom© designed specifically for highly interactive large size classes and meetings. Two sections used the same instructor, facilitators, pedagogy, and course content. This study revealed a unique pattern of non-turn-taking synchronous interaction in the online section. Online students were found to be more likely to participate and express themselves. Interaction of online participants led to the creation of a group entity -a polis -a cornerstone for collaborative group learning. In contrast, in the F2F section, interaction followed the traditional classroom pattern -centered on the teacher or expert, resulting in fewer students interacting, and hence, lower interaction overall. In sum, during these three hour sessions, it was found that the nature of online non-turn-taking environment afforded online students more time to express themselves compared to students learning the same material F2F.

A matched study compares collaborative learning about the self and relationships in two different learning environments. One environment is a traditional university classroom in which participants take turns expressing themselves. The other is online, using the LBD eClassroom©, which allows several participants to express themselves at the same time. The intent was to migrate the content and the process of the course from a traditional face‐to‐face classroom to an online classroom. By eliminating the constraint of taking turns, a greater quantity of exchanges was shown to be possible in the same amount of time, resulting in a different dynamic to the interactions in the online class. Instead of focusing on interactions between students and the instructor or expert, more interactions occurred among the students. These differences led to a more effective formation of group identity, or polis. The data analysis includes interaction diagrams, GUIDATA©, and the use of time.