The graduate student experience in computer-mediated classes: A grounded theory study

The purpose of this study was to explore the online learning experience through the perceptions of the learners using grounded theory methodology. Twelve students at a Midwestern university served as participants in this study. These students were enrolled in two doctoral education administration courses being delivered via Lotus Notes groupware at a Midwestern university. Data was collected through interviews, observations, participant-observation, and from the online class dialogue. From data analysis, a theory grounded in the data emerged, which states that learners progress through stages to evolve from a novice user of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to an experienced CMC learner, thereby Mastering the Process of Being an Online Student. Mastering the Process encompasses the casual conditions and intervening conditions that make up the context of CMC. The situation and location of the learner in terms of the need for direction, support, and level of dependence on the instructor determine his or her ability to Master the Process. Mastering the Process is facilitated or constrained by the role the instructor plays in their evolution. The evolution of Mastering the Process and the strategies that the participants employed to move through their evolution are discussed in this paper, as are the implications of the online process such as text communication, the online social process, learning characteristics, and the use of emotion