Using E-mail to Foster Collaboration in Distance Education

This paper reports on a case study in which an e-mail system was used as a tool to foster collaboration among a group of students enrolled in an educational management course offered by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK). It focuses on a set of interview data and, in analysing the interview data, it takes into account the sociocultural perspective on learning in relation to the use of computer-mediated communication in education. The aim of this study is to draw out implications for improved practices in managing online discussion groups in contexts such as the OUHK.Copyright of Open Learning is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02680510120050343