Abstract
Purpose of the study. Undergraduate higher education in Thailand is increasingly using computer mediated communication (CMC) as a means of instruction. This study investigated whether students' attitude change toward the use of computers and specifically electronic mail (e-mail) function after taking a required course in computer usage. Theoretical framework. A meta-theory approach was used that combined research in pedagogy and its technological support from the emerging field of computer mediated communication. Relevant theoretical constructs guided the development of the survey instrument as well as the designated learning outcomes from the treatment and control groups. Conclusions were compared and contrasted to this theoretical discussion in the current literature. Methodology. An experimental design was employed. Two sections of CIS 101 Introduction to Computers were drawn from a private university in Bangkok which was representative of Thai university curriculum. The first section, randomly selected by blind draw was designated the treatment group and the other section was designated the control group. The pretest instrument was administered to both sections. At the end of the term, the same posttest was administered to both sections. The principal intervention for the study was the likelihood of e-mail use upon the conclusion of the course. The treatment group used e-mail to facilitate discussions of course content and issues. The control group experienced traditional classroom discussions of the same subject content. Findings and conclusion. It was concluded that the use of e-mail to facilitate course content discussions yields results which were better than those obtained by students participating in traditional classroom discussions of course content. The groups participating in the use of e-mail discussions demonstrated a higher knowledge of course content as measured by the final examination scores, than the group using traditional classroom discussion. Recommendations. This study had determined that e-mail discussions facilitate learning and therefore may be suitable to be used in place of traditional classroom discussions. E-mail as a discussion tool is an alternative that may result in higher level of student learning for many higher education courses, especially for those who are reluctant to discuss course concepts in face-to-face settings.