Facilitating a Constructivist Learning Environment Through Chat Room Dialogue

This paper presents the results of an action research project which focuses on chat room communication at a metropolitan university in the United States. Students in a first year composition course were tasked with taking lecture notes during class solely utilizing online course software, specifically the chat room feature. An analysis of the chat transcript revealed how students organically situated knowledge construction in a virtual context. Examining the individual and group thought processes of the students, along with the questions that they asked, provided the instructor with an avenue for extended classroom conversation and future lesson planning. Additionally, student feedback and participation in the chat room has established the parameters for an extended research project into the tenants of constructivism in virtual learning environments.