FLEXIBLE LEARNING IN HIGHER-EDUCATION - THE USE OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATIONS

This paper arises from a workshop at the CAL 93 conference. It attempt s to crystallize some reflections on experience, rather than reporting the outcomes of a research study. The workshop was based on accounts from Lancaster University and the Institute of Education at London Uni versity that have been making significant use of computer-mediated com munications (CMC) in their teaching. Several participants in the works hop also contributed some thoughts about their own experience of CMC, whether as a learner or a course-provider. These have found their way into our thinking and into this paper. This paper's main function is a s a stimulus to thinking about some key issues that have to be address ed if one is attempting to use CMC technology to support more flexible patterns of teaching and learning in higher education, such as group cohesion, modes of discourse, and human-to-human interaction.