For a brief summary of this speculative argument, see
below.
Do you agree with it? Do you have data or examples that
support or contradict any of the points?
Speculation:
[Note: "Enable" is not the same as either "guarantee" or
"require."]
1. New applications of information technology offer new
tools that enable us to add our voices in new ways to
synchronous and asynchronous interaction.
2. Integrating our own voices enables us to personalize
interactions in new ways.
3. Personalizing interaction enables us to increase
engagement in new ways.
4. Educators can improve student retention (completion of
courses) by increasing student engagement in courses
in colleges and universities. Students are likely to
be more engaged in courses where faculty are more
obviously engaged.
5. Faculty members can clarify course ownership by
personalizing their contributions - making courses
more distinctively their own. Faculty can be more
visibly engaged in their own courses by personalizing
their interactions.
6. Students are less likely to plagiarize if they can
more easily perceive the value of distinctively
personal contributions in others' academic work, and
if they believe that more personalized versions of
their own work are also possible and valued.
7. More personalized participation and active engagement
are essential elements for building community.
