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Interpersonal Knowledge in Virtual Seminars

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Beyond Knowledge: The Legacy of Competence

Abstract

Interpersonal knowledge of learning partners plays an important role in collaborative learning. Because of the special characteristics of computer-mediated-communication, it is necessary to investigate the formation and the effects of interpersonal knowledge in virtual learning scenarios. This field study evaluates the formation and the effects of interpersonal knowledge in a virtual seminar. The seminar involved 33 participants who worked together in groups of 3-5 members. At the beginning and end of the virtual seminar, participants were asked about their skill-related interpersonal knowledge and their emotional interpersonal knowledge of other learning partners. Results showed that interpersonal knowledge generally increased during the seminar. While skill-related interpersonal knowledge did not lead to more efficient interaction, socio-emotional interpersonal knowledge was positively related to conflict oriented-consensus building, posing task-related questions and the contribution of ideas. Both skill-related and socio-emotional interpersonal knowledge were positively correlated to participants’ satisfaction with, and acceptance of, the seminar.

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Diekamp, O., Kopp, B., Mandl, H. (2008). Interpersonal Knowledge in Virtual Seminars. In: Zumbach, J., Schwartz, N., Seufert, T., Kester, L. (eds) Beyond Knowledge: The Legacy of Competence. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8827-8_3

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