This study used content analysis to identify the communication conventions and protocols that real-time, interactive electronic chat users developed in instructional settings. Most frequently used conventions included sharing information/techniques for conveying meaning and indicating interest in a topic, using keywords and names of individuals,…

Highlights two recent studies in the field of distance education. C.N. Gunawardena and F.J. Zittle found a high degree of variation between learner satisfaction and social presence in a computer-mediated communication environment. J. McDonald and C. Campbell-Gibson study demonstrated that groups meeting in a synchronous computer-mediated course…