Abstract

A comparative study of use of asynchronous (bulletin board) and synchronous (chat) for discussion on three learning units based on the cognitive maps developed by the learners has been made. We have found that cognitive maps could be an effective tool for learners for discussion in a distributed learning environment. Cognitive maps provided learners to organize their understanding of the learning units. During the discussion session on the Internet the learners were able to exchange their ideas based on the cognitive maps. After the discussion learners modified their cognitive maps with regard to newer understanding of the text. The learners have preferred bulletin board as a discussion platform as it gave them better opportunity to concretize their thought before responding to the collaborating group members.

Citation

Bhattacharya, M. (1999). A Study of Asynchronous and Synchronous Discussion on Cognitive Maps in a Distributed Learning Environment. In Proceedings of WebNet World Conference on the WWW and Internet 1999 (pp. 100-105). Honolulu, Hawaii: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved February 5, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/7066/.

© 1999 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)

Keywords

• Cognition
• distributed learning