ARTVIEW - TRANSFORMING IMAGE DATABASES INTO COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES

Considering the educational importance of dialogue among students, fac ulty, and professionals, this article examines a computer-mediated com munication tool designed to support online learning through conversati on. ArtView, developed by Cornell University's Interactive Multimedia Group, allows groups of learners to converse from disparate locations in a shared space while viewing an image that has been pre-loaded by t he instructor. An online database provides a ready-reference, allowing the instructor to customize background or contextual information nece ssary to supplement the online conversations. This article describes a nd reports the results of user-testing conducted in conjunction with a college course, ''Art in the Electronic Age.'' Through qualitative te chniques, learners compare and contrast their experiences in a face-to -face guided visit and discussion with a computer-mediated viewing and discussion using ArtView. Museums were seen as providing an attractiv e element of personal choice and an outstanding physical viewing envir onment. ArtView lacked these elements and tended to homogenize the art works with its two-dimensional display limitations. However, most stud ents reported levels of satisfaction with the quality and convenience of the computer-mediated communication (CMC) aspects sufficient to mak e up for the limitations. The article concludes with suggestions on ho w educators might augment learning by combining the strengths of the o nline and museum experiences.