Academic writing in Blackboard: a computer-mediated discourse analytic perspective

Abstract

English: This article reports on how text-based synchronous and asynchronous modes of communication in Blackboard were employed at tertiary level to encourage students to share their perceptions of academic writing and sensitise them to the writing process. Employing a computer-mediated discourse analytic (CMDA) framework, three research questions were posed: What were the discussion topics in each mode of computer-mediated communication (CMC)? What types of knowledge construction were reflected in each mode? What kinds of discourse features were generated in each mode? The overall conclusions reached were that both modes of CMC reflected conceptual moves, although few theoretical ideas were present in asynchronous CMC and none in synchronous CMC. Asynchronous CMC was also more syntactically complex than synchronous CMC. This preliminary study suggests that both modes may help learners achieve the above aims.

Afrikaans: Hierdie artikel rapporteer oor ’n analise van twee kommunikasiemodusse via Blackboard – sinchroniese en asinchroniese kommunikasie – en hoe hierdie modusse benut is om tersiêre studente aan te moedig om hul persepsies van akademiese skryf te deel en hulle bewus te maak van die skryfproses. Binne die raamwerk van rekenaarbemiddelde diskoersanalise is drie navorsingsvrae geformuleer: Waaroor het die studente gesels gedurende rekenaarbemiddelde kommunikasie (RBK)? Watter soort kennis is ontwikkel gedurende RBK? Watter soort diskoerskenmerke is deur studente gegenereer gedurende RBK? Die resultaat van die analise dui daarop dat beide sinchroniese en asinchroniese RBK konseptuele kennis gereflekteer het, alhoewel daar min teoretiese idees aanwesig was in asinchroniese RBK en geen in sinchroniese RBK. Die grammatikale konstruksies in sinchroniese RBK was sintakties ook meer kompleks as in asinchroniese RBK. Hierdie aanvanklike studie dui daarop dat beide kommunikasiemodusse gebruik kan word om bogenoemde doelwitte teweeg te bring.