There is only brief mention of the underlying hardware requirements and more description of the logical structure of a conferencing environment, the learner skills needed to use it and some typical uses within a course. Amongst the conclusions are that many participants find the experience offers quality educational experiences but that there are also possible drawbacks due to the limitations of text, possible overload of messages and reluctance to participate collaboratively. There are also issues of gender. It does seem most at home there. McConnell's philosophy of CSCL includes self determined learning, a learning community which cooperative for practical purposes, and collaborative assessment of learning products and processes.
Collaborative assessment is the most controversial.
It is discussed in detail, answering each objection which many of us have considered. This leads to a discussion of the teacher as the facilitator whose roles include leader, designer, expert, assessor and institutional representative. As an example the CSCL design of the electronic learning environment in the Lancaster MA is described. This is described in more detail in chapter 5, with numerous transcripts of conferences. The final chapter summarises past research in CSCL and proposes an agenda for future research which involves describing what happens during CSCL in terms of participation and group dynamics, using external examiners to assess CSCL transcripts, and facilitating a group's self-analysis and explaining the thinking which underlie their messages.