In 1993 Krause implemented online discussion groups for first-year composition courses at Bowling Green State University. Articles in academic journals led him to expect such benefits as increased class participation, increased effectiveness of writing centers, and greater collaboration among students. Most appealing was the possibility of an "online discourse community" which could change the dynamics of the classroom. Krause endorses email listservs on these grounds but responds specifically to the question raised by Gail Hawisher: "Will students' writing improve as a result of this technology and environment?"

Krause rewords the question: "Is there a correlation between those who demonstrate a high degree of interactivity online to those who demonstrate a high degree of audience awareness off-line?" Krause establishes an "Interactivity Score" for email postings and "Audience Awareness" score for off-line essays. After evaluating the work of twenty students Krause concludes that there is no correlation between the two. This result disappoints Krause, who proposes more precise scoring instructions, a larger student sample, and better student training concerning the use of the listserv.

The third proposal is suspicious. Krause is at once a teacher and an evaluator of a teaching tool. Krause might "better train" his students by stressing the need for a correlation between interactivity online and audience awareness offline. He might better explain the scoring criteria to his students/subjects. The savvy would quickly recognize the ease with which high scores can be achieved in either area: respond to another student's email for a high score in Interactivity. Use the phrases mentioned in the article "I think that we as Americans need to consider..." to score high on an offline essay. Do both to get the "A".

Krause concludes with a recommendation for a more thorough examination of the difference between these two mediums. It can be inferred from his commitment to using email listservs to teach composition that he expects the development of a methodology that will confirm the correlation absent from his study. (Norman Owens.)

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Michael Hancher

Department of English, University of Minnesota

URL: http://umn.edu/home/mh/ebibno1.html

Comments to: mh@umn.edu

Created 22 May 1995

Last revised 17 September 1996