My part of the presentation will be in engaging the complexity of collegiality online. While many assume that e-mail, MOOing, and other electronic exchanges work as facilitators for interaction, I find that technology-based media act instead as agents of transformation for communication. Elements such as access then play a crucial role in the effectiveness of e-communication, and I will examine access as one means by which collegiality can be both defined and altered.

In particular, I will consider mechanical access--exposure to computing, navigation on the web--and access through discourse. With personal experience, such as my work with colleagues on this panel and my taking a graduate level course in writing online by distance through the University of Florida's NWE, I will demonstrate how aspects of online communication we take for granted are even further complicated by distance and ramifications this may have for the development of collegial relationships.

In keeping to the interactive spirit of our panel, I will solicit ideas and commentary from those in attendance throughout my segment.

Presenter: James A. Inman

Categories:

Target Audience: Not Applicable

Add your comment about this presentation

Return to the Schedule of Abstracts