Space for Learning

As asynchronous learning networks are replacing in-class interaction among students and faculty with on-line computer communication, there is a need to understand more about this new environment for learning. This book examines the on-line learning environment as a linguistic space, which affords students and teachers a place for their social activity of learning. The analysis is approached from the perspective of linguistic anthropology and examines the ways in which students use the elements of time and place independence to navigate the environment for their own purposes. The study provides insights into the manner in which the online discourse functions as a learning space, while also supporting institutional curricular needs and the instructional goals of the faculty. The results presented here add to the research on distance learning and extend our understanding the nature of online discourse as both an intellectual dialog through which students construct meaning and a space for individual reflections through which students come to understand content.