Explaining Participation on a Class Newsgroup

Examines student participation on a computer newsgroup in an introductory women and politics class. Early in the semester, students attended a 1-hour training session during which they were given written instructions and a demonstration of how to use the newsgroup. Guidelines regarding appropriate content for newsgroup discussions were provided; the purpose of the newsgroup was to have the students critically reflect on the course content and develop more complex views of issues through written conversations. (Original abstract - amended)