Online Communication in a Multimedia Course

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Communication is a critical component of human interaction in order to satisfy basic human needs. This is especially true in technology-supported learning environments, where establishing multiple communicational channels between instructors and students is a requisite to enhance learning. Therefore, specific intervention strategies are required to effectively adjust each channel to satisfy students' communication needs while learning. However, not all online communication channels achieve the goal of including students into their learning communities. Thus, designers should understand what works best in facilitating effective communication and learning. The bottom line lies in how to foster online communication and what impact it may have on effective learning. This paper aims at exploring student use of asynchronous and synchronous communication tools, namely fora and chat tools, and their participation within a technology-supported Multimedia course. We present ongoing research results related to this specific issue, together with implications for designing b-learning experiences, lessons learnt and future work. By this we aim at contributing to understand the impact of online communication tools on student behavior and learning results.