February 1992
Last update: 3 August 1996 by Jacob Palme
E-mail: jpalme@dsv.su.se.
Abstract: This collection consists of four parts.
Part 1 describes the main functions
in Computer Conferencing Systems, both functions which almost all systems have,
and functions only available in a few systems, but of value for distance education.
For each function, the chapter describes how the function is implemented in
some well-known conference systems and which terms are used to describe it.
The chapter can be used as basis for a wish-list when procuring conference system
software.
Part 2 discusses how standards for Computer
Conferencing can be developed and describe the status of work in this area within
ISO and CCITT.
Part 3 discusses whether the software
design has any influence on user behaviour or not.
Part 4 discusses how the computer conferencing
software and data base can be used to perform research on social behaviour in
the systems.
A common list of References for all four papers.
Keywords: Computer Conferencing, Group Communication, Standards, Software
design.
Publication: Part 1 and 2 of this paper have been published in the book
Collaborative Learning Through Computer conferencing, NATO ASI Series, Springer-Verlag,
Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-540-55755-5 and 0-387-55755-5.
Author's personal address: Skeppargatan 73, S-115 30 Stockholm, Sweden.
Phone: +46-8-664 77 48 or +46-8-16 16 67. Internet mail: jpalme@dsv.su.se.
University address: Department of Computer and Systems Sciences, Stockholm
University, Electrum 230, S-164 40 Kista, Sweden. Phone: +46-8-16 20 00. Fax:
+46-8-703 90 25.
This paper is available in HTML format and in Adobe Acrobat version 4 format.