Understanding the Effects of Non-Neutral Technology in Distance Learning

How does the non-neutrality of computer conferencing technology change students´ experiences and encourage or impede their willingness to challenge, debate, and/or defend one another´s assertions in discourse leading to higher levels of thinking and learning? Highly structured instructional methods seem to be the most successful in promoting contention among students while computer conferencing; however, an exploration into students´ experiences and characteristics while using computer conferencing technology may further reveal why they are still prone to abandoning discussions in the early phases of confrontation. The technology itself must be carefully considered along with the design of highly structured instructional methods, since non-neutral technology is a factor in shaping students´ experiences. The purpose of this paper is to argue that a deeper understanding of the relationship between the non-neutrality of computer conferencing and students´ experiences while using this technology is required by distance educators in order to better facilitate higher levels of discourse. Specifically, the non-neutrality of computer conferencing technology as it relates to social presence, disembodiment, and transactional distance