The March issue of ITDL, the International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, has seven papers.

Building the Academic EcoSystem: Implications of E-Learning is a roundup of a conference on the future of eLearning.    Quite well done, but inevitably bitty and disjointed, since that’s what conferences are like.

Thread Theory: A Framework Applied to Content Analysis of Synchronous Computer Mediated Communication Data is a nice exposition of Thread Theory, a way of analysing online discussions and turning an often chaotic transcript into something that makes sense.    As a research tool, for those wishing to explore the psychology and sociology of such encounters, it must be of value.    As a tool for the professional educator, however, it struck me as completely useless:   a bit like recording every more in the piece by piece construction of a jigsaw puzzle, and then attempting to use the transcript to help you make your next puzzle.    Intellectually interesting, but practically useless.

Content Analysis of Online Transcripts: Measuring Quality of Interaction, Participation and Cognitive Engagement within CMC Groups by Cleaning of Transcripts.    Much the same could be said of this next paper, which inhabits a territory not a million miles away from the last.    Nice, but unnecessary (at least for us).    Mind you, it’s a topic of our times.

Web-based Distance Learning Technology: The effects of instructor video on information recall and aesthetic ratings.    This paper has more relevance to us though, as ever, given the scope of the study it is hard to know how much reliance to place upon its results.    Do videos make learning more attractive?    And do they facilitate learning?    The results, crudely, and if I have understood them properly, are that videos are aesthetically appealing, but can actually inhibit learning because they present information in a context which can "overload the visual channel".    Interesting, if true, though possibly predictable.

Connecting Distant Communities through Video Communication Technologies in Design Studio Workshops was less relevant;   I only skimmed it but picked up nothing of use to us.

The Impact of an E-Learning Strategy on Pedagogical Aspects is a valuable topic, and the paper is not without interest.    But it’s a bit heavy going, and a bit technical, so I can’t really recommend it.

Conducting a Qualitative Research in Online Courses: Experiences of a Novice Researcher is short, sweet, anecdotal and arguably pointless (unless, of course, you too are a novice research looking for reassurances from a fellow novice).

Source:    http://www.itdl.org/