Distance Technologies in Collaborative Research: Analyzing the Successes and Barriers

This study investigates uses of distance technologies to support collaborative research among groups of teacher educators using online instruction to enhance their instructional practices. The primary goal of this study was to examine the successes and barriers of the use of distance technologies for collaborative research. The study includes a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of particular distance communication tools. Data were collected via a survey administered in a Web-based format. Results indicate that e-mail and the telephone are considered the best facilitators of collaboration via a distance. The discussion reveals that technology infrastructures and participant skills play major roles in the selection of collaborative tools. As distance education opportunities continue to expand in the higher education arena, so do opportunities to collaborate via distance through both communicative works and research. Collaboration is a recognized facet of the university framework. There has been much research on community building online, and the ways virtual collaborative teams communicate asynchronously and synchronously (DeSanctis, Wright, & Jiang