Title: Arial, 14 pt - School of Business and Economics - Maastricht ...

communication is more difficult. Often, a lack of shared context, body language or writing
style leads to an interpretation of written text (e.g. a post on a discussion board) not intended
by the writer (Bromme, Hesse, & Spada, 2005). Due to miscommunication, a learners’
connectivity and sense of belonging (relatedness) might be reduced as well as the perceived
competences, which in turn might reduce social interaction.
A recent development in collaborative working and learning is the use of synchronous
tools like web-videoconferences whereby learners meet online at a fixed time (synchronous)
in an online classroom. While web-videoconferencing is not a new phenomenon, tools like
Skype, MSN Web Messenger and Acrobat Connect allow learners to efficiently communicate
using free or low cost technology such as a simple desktop computer. Until recently, such
basic technology would only allow for asynchronous communication, as for example in
discussion groups. Differences in these two formats of communication are substantial, both
from functional and motivational perspectives, as the look and feel differences visible in
Figures 1 and 2 1 demonstrate. In these exhibits, Figure 1 shows a discussion board supporting
asynchronous communication and Figure 2 shows a web-videoconference tool that allows for
synchronous communication.
1 Both examples are part of a collaborative environment called Surfgroepen (www.surfgroepen.nl) offered by
SURFnet, that allows Dutch universities and research institutes to collaborate (inter)nationally by using
innovative IC facilities.