Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Curriculum, Instruction, and Media Technology

Abstract

Trainee performance using computer-based training (CBT) may be related to the degree of interaction that occurs between trainees and the instructor, or between trainees and each other. This is significant in that the individualized nature of CBT (and perhaps Web-based training) is contrary to the social interaction needs of trainees. Using relevant pedagogical and social communication theories as a basis, this study employed empirical research methods on undergraduate participants to achieve the following objectives: to explore the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) as a surrogate for face-to-face interaction with CBT trainees, and to provide research-based recommendations for human resource development (HRD) managers charged with deployment of these and related technologies. The research results showed that personalized email sent to undergraduate CBT participants once per week performed significantly better than participants that received no email. However, email provided no significant impact on participant satisfaction, except with regard to the research question concerning the construction of performance measures.

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