Teaching argumentation skills in an electronic mail environment

This paper discusses the qualities of computer-mediated communication (CMC) relevant to the teaching of argumentation skills. It describes an electronic mail (e-mail) study experiment carried out in an MEd level course in education. The aim of the experiment was to explore the possibility of using CMC to promote the argumentation skills of university students. The experiment (n = 31) was based on a comparison of tutor-led seminar mode (2 groups) with a student-led discussion mode (2 groups) using an e-mail study. The students practised argumentation during a six-week e-mail study period. The comparison group (n = 193) engaged in a traditional self-study. All the students' argumentation skills were measured after the experiment. The results indicated better argumentation skills among the e-mail students compared to those engaged in the self-study, and suggested that it is possible to promote argumentation skills through e-mail. In addition, the results suggested the superiority of the discussion mode of e-mail Study over the seminar mode for practising argumentation.