From: sackman@plains.nodak.edu (Gleason Sackman)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Subject: Electronic Pre-Conference (from DEOS-L)
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:09:41 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
Approved-By:  "EDTECH Moderator" <21765EDT@MSU.BITNET>

Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 09:41:31 EDT
From: KWB107@psuvm.bitnet
To: Multiple recipients of list DEOS-L <DEOS-L@psuvm.bitnet>
Subject: Electronic Pre-Conference

Elske also writes, "I would like to add that forwarding the 'call for
participation' to appropriate lists, bulletin boards or individuals is
encouraged."

  - - The original note follows - -

Date: 24 Sep 92 11:57:23 GMT-1
From: Elske Heeren <HEEREN@edte.utwente.nl>
Subject:  Electronic Pre-Conference
To:   DEOS-L

Call for Participation

Electronic Pre-Conference on

Cooperative Learning at a Distance

Preceeding the International Conference TeleTeaching '93, to be held August
 20-25, 1993, in Trondheim, Norway, a preconference will be held through
 electronic mail. The subject of the electronic pre-conference is cooperative
 learning at a distance by adults. The pre-conference will be held from January
 1993 until July 1993. An interdisciplinary group of at most fifteen
 participants is aimed at, scholars as well as practitioners, discussing various
 topics with regard to the main subject. In fact, the pre-conference itself will
 be a cooperative learning event at a distance! The pre-conference will be
 rounded off with a presentation of results and conclusions at TeleTeaching '93,
 where participants will finally meet each other in person.

The Potential of Cooperative Learning at a Distance
Now that new telecommunications-based technologies are becoming available,
 international interest in linking distant learners together is growing, and
 cooperative learning is thought to become a feasible choice in distance/open
 learning settings. Cooperative learning in the classroom has shown to have
 positive cognitive, meta-cognitive and social effects. Besides potential
 generalizability of these effects to distance learning settings, social
 interactions with co-learners may avoid feelings of isolation in distant
 learners, which is assumed to result in increased motivation and less drop-out.

Suggested Topics of Discussion
As a result of the interdisciplinarity of the subject, topics that will be
 discussed during the pre-conference cover a broad range of fields. Suggested
 topics are:
- Setting the scene, theoretically and practically; definition of terms
- Relevance of cooperative learning research results for distance learning
 settings
- Application of cooperative learning techniques designed for the classroom, in
 distance learning settings
- Relevance of research in the field of computer-supported cooperative work
- Relevant technical topics: new developments in telecommunications technology
- How to design learning settings
- How to design the technological support
- Changes on the personnel and administrative level
- Research methods for analysis and evaluation

Profile of Participants
When studying cooperative learning at a distance, aspects of at least the
 following fields are relevant: distance and open learning, learning and
 instructional psychology, instructional design, instrumentational design,
 telecommunications implementation.
Participants are expected to be either a scholarly specialist in one or more of
 these fields, or an experienced practitioner. Furthermore, individuals
 researching the subject of 'cooperative learning at a distance' in particular,
 including graduate students, are invited to participate.
Participants are expected but not obliged to join TeleTeaching '93.

Additional Pre-Conference Specifications
The pre-conference will be held through Internet e-mail, thus it is required to
 have an Internet e-mail address.
The conference will be established at the University of Twente, The Netherlands.
 Moderator is Elske Heeren, who is presently conducting research into the design
 of telecommunications-mediated cooperative learning environments.
The pre-conference will start at January 4, 1993, and last until July 1993.
 Participants are expected to contribute at least once a week. The conference
 language is English.

How to Participate
If you are interested to join the pre-conference on cooperative learning at a
 distance, prepare a short statement introducing yourself and indicating why you
 are interested in participation. Send your message to Elske Heeren:
 HEEREN@EDTE.UTWENTE.NL, before December 1, 1992. You will receive further
 instructions as soon as possible after this date.

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