Abstracts - Earli

The rise of the telecommuterHeather Kanuka, Athabasca University, CanadaElaine Laflamme, McGill University, CanadaKam Jugdev, Athabasca University, CanadaBob Heller, Athabasca University, CanadaDan West, Athabasca University, CanadaA growing number of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are offering telecommuting options fortheir academics. As with most opportunities, though, it has tradeoffs. One drawback totelecommuting is that it creates a vulnerable situation for telecommuters, arising from the lack ofcontact between colleagues and the organization, often resulting in feelings of isolation. However,research has shown these issues can be decreased when there is regular contact and collaborationbetween and among colleagues, with the most effective contact being activities that revolve aroundthe provision of regular training and continuous support. The purpose of this study was to gatherdata for further direction on how to provide regular training and continuous learning activities inthe area of teaching development to telecommuters. A survey was sent to 609 academic memberswithin our institution. We had 187 responses, for a response rate of 31%. Eighty-five percent ofrespondents reported a home office as their primary work environment. Through descriptive andfactor analyses we were able to identify structures and practices which can be managed skillfullyto create an environment that provides regular continuous learning opportunities. The results ofthis study revealed that such opportunities should focus on: (1) recent hires who have little oncampusteaching experience; (2) sustained early training for all new hires in the area of innovativeteaching explorations; (3) individuals with little or no technology experience; (4) creation ofworkplace community for individuals who provide instruction in distance and online courses; and(5) the provision of opportunities to collaboratively participate in the scholarship of teaching andlearning.The role of argumentation competence and computer literacy as individual learning prerequisitesin web-based collaborative inquiry learningIngo Kollar, University of Munich, GermanyChristof Wecker, University of Munich, GermanyFrank Fischer, University of Munich, GermanyCarmen Kohnle, Kaufmannische Schule Hechingen, GermanyJames D. Slotta, University of Toronto, CanadaIn web-based collaborative inquiry learning, groups of students work on authentic scienceproblems to acquire scientific knowledge by using web-based materials, thereby conductingactivities such as hypothesis formation, data interpretation etc. Beyond the acquisition of domainspecificknowledge, core objectives are the acquisition of domain-general competences such asargumentation competence or computer literacy. We empirically investigated whether thesecompetences also play a role as individual learning prerequisites for domain-specific knowledgeacquisition. In study 1, 46 students (grades 8-10) from two secondary schools participated. Weassessed the individuals’ levels of argumentation competence (high vs. low) and established dyadswho collaborated on a biology unit from WISE. As expected, learners with high levels ofargumentation competence acquired more domain-specific knowledge than learners with lowlevels of argumentation competence. In study 2, 15 students aged 16-20 participated. We assessedtheir levels of computer literacy and established dyads who collaborated on a WISE physics unit.In addition to the acquisition of domain-specific knowledge, we were interested in their patterns ofmedia use. The results indicated that learners with lower levels of computer literacy surprisingly– 569 –