The “Virtual Classroom”: Using Computer-Mediated Communication for University Teaching

conferencing for specific courses and to supplement traditional teaching shows advantages to some students in terms of access and interactive opportunities between teacher and student., Is it possible to build a “virtual classroom, an interactive communica-tion and learning space located within a computer system? Can a computer-mediated communication system be used to create an elec-tronic analogue of the communication forms that usually occur in a classroom, iiicliiding discussion as well as lectures and tests? Can it provide new modes of teaching and learning that may be more effective than the traditional classr.ooni? Our initial findings in a long-term investigatioii of computer education at the postsecondary level suggest that the medium can be effective for some types of students, course materials, and teachers. In addition, the nature of interaction is different