Research on this LO dialogue LO15642

Diane Rumely (derumley@postoffice.utas.edu.au)
Tue, 4 Nov 1997 16:22:46 +1100 (EST)

Research Proposal: Electronic Learning Communities

Notice of intention to subscribe to this list for research purposes.

Dear List members,

This email has been posted with the support of your listowner. We work at
the Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia, University of
Tasmania, Australia. We have an interest in email discussion groups and
what makes them effective as a forum for learning and information
exchange. Email is becoming an increasingly important tool, for business,
for community and also for people who may be isolated for a range of
reasons. We would like to "listen in" to your conversations for up to a
month if this is acceptable to you. We chose this email discussion group
because it had been identified as a group that was a good example of
effective learning and information sharing. Your listowner will know when
we have subscribed and unsubscribed and we will post a message to the list
to let you know. Apart from that we will not intrude, unless you would
like us to share our findings with you at the conclusion of our study.
Your conversation will be analysed in terms of indicators of learning. We
hope that this study will analyse data from 30 days of email conversation
from ten to twelve groups.

For the period of time that we are listening, if there is something you
would NOT like us to include in the data analysis, please say "not to be
reproduced outside this list" and we will uphold your request and not
include your comments in the data analysis. If during the course of the
data collection you wish us to cease, once you have advised us, we will
withdraw from your email discussion group without prejudice to you. The
data will be aggregated to ensure confidentiality. That is, any personal
identifying information will either be removed or changed to protect
individual identity. Names will be removed from recorded emails before
data analysis. Once the data have been collected, the files will be kept
on a disk in a locked filing cabinet in University premises

If you are happy for this research to proceed, we thank you. If you do
not wish the research to proceed, can you please advise the listowner, and
we will not subscribe to the list.

If you would like a copy of the report we produce, or to learn more about
the Centre's work, please email us and we will be happy to send you the
relevant information. If you have any queries about the project you can
contact any of the investigators as follows:

Diane Rumley Phone: 61(0)362262524 Derumley@postoffice.utas.edu.au
Christine Owen Phone: 61(0)362262555 cowen@utas.edu.au
Sue Kilpatrick Phone: 61(0)363243018 Sue.Kilpatrick@utas.edu.au

If there are any concerns of an ethical nature or complaints about the
manner in which this project is conducted, please contact the Chair or
Executive Officer of the University of Tasmania Ethics Committee (Human
Experimentation). The Chair in 1997 is Dr Margaret Otlowski, Phone:
61(0)362267569 or email Margaret.Otlowski@utas.edu.au and the Executive
Officer is Ms Chris Hooper Phone: 61(0)362262763 or email
Chris.Hooper@utas.edu.au

Diane Rumley
Research Assistant
Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia
http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/CRLRA/
University of Tasmania

[Host's Note: I have encouraged this group in their interest in research
on the discussion in the Learning-org list. ...Rick]

-- 

Diane Rumely <derumley@postoffice.utas.edu.au>

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>