Group Work and Electronic Meeting Systems: From Boardroom to Classroom

Abstract

In the business community, collaborative efforts of work teams have led to a dramatic increase in the number of group meetings. Business managers, seeking more efficient and effective methods of managing diverse contributions, have increasingly used information technology to supportgroup work. The same need to improve group communication is relevant to today's classroom, where new technologies can transform the classroom from a traditional instructor-centered environment to a student-centered environment where students actively participate in intellectual discourse. Results from field and laboratory studies about business usage of electronic meeting systems (EMS) can be applied to the classroom setting. We offer an overview of available tools and suggest some classroom activities. EMS-supported courses provide many new opportunities to foster learning. Students participate, participate more equally, and report a highly satisfying experience.

Teaching in a High-Tech Conference Room:

“…Just as the spaces in which professional writers work can fundamentally affect their writing processes, productive relations with coworkers, and communication outcomes, so classroom space similarly can affect the work of professional writing students. In the classroom as in the workplace, technology can support the "group dynamics" level of collaborative work by providing rich interaction and professional facilitation (Tullar, Kaiser, & Balthazard, 1998).…”

Design of virtual spaces for successful collaboration in technical and professional communication online classes

“…This paper will look at some of the instructional considerations involved in creating a successful collaborative space and how some of those very considerations could be enhanced by using electronic meeting systems (EMS), suited perhaps particularly well to the online classroom and meeting room. [3] A Collaborative Culture A collaborative culture involves what some have described as a "collaborative ethic" [4] and others have described as a "synergistic effort" [3]. Classrooms, whether real or virtual, like all groups, do not and probably cannot always achieve the "group dynamic level" of interaction, which allows a team to function beyond just cooperation, to achieve a level of synergy, producing a superior product and an enhanced learning or production experience for the team members.…”

“…The notable features of EMS-supported learning that make its applications in board rooms especially exciting apply equally well to online discussions and collaborations, whether in the virtual classroom, meeting room, or corporate classroom. [3] The workplace certainly requires teamwork. The academic discipline of technical communication recognizes that students, whether enrolled via distance or on campus, must be taught teamwork and have collaborative practice.…”

“…Classrooms, whether real or virtual, like all groups, do not and probably cannot always achieve the "group dynamic level" of interaction, which allows a team to function beyond just cooperation, to achieve a level of synergy, producing a superior product and an enhanced learning or production experience for the team members. [3] Among the challenges are the following:…”

“…Ideas can become decoupled from personality, status, and role, freeing participants to evaluate ideas equally. [3] The Lecture Model Optimally, a collaboration system would support the best roles typically found in working groups: initiators, information seekers, information givers, coordinators, evaluators, harmonizers, gatekeepers, standard setters, followers, group observers, blockers, and avoiders. [13] To preserve as many of these roles as possible, an online collaborative space must provide many of the benefits of face-toface collaboration: immediate, clear communication; ability to stay on-task; and support for group dynamics.…”