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Logged chats

I teach primarily on the WebCT platform, and when my students hold chat sessions I can review the transcripts of their chat. This bothered me tremendously at first (five years ago) because I felt the students needed a private place to talk - just as they could meet in the hallway outside of the lab when I taught in the classroom.

I am no longer bothered by the public nature of these chat sessions. It is helpful to post a transcript of the discussions in a private group discussion area so members of a group who miss a chat session can review their teammates' planning or discussion sessions. Students may still use email to hold private discussions, although I still feel a bit voyeuristic when I read the chats that took place without me. If they truly wish to hold private chat conversations, they can use their yahoo! or MSN accounts on MSN Messenger or GAIM chat clients, and take advantage of the Instant Message features as well.

WebCT version CE6 and Vista both allow for private group areas with chat and discussion boards integral to the group experience, but CE4.1 does not - all chat sessions are open to lurkers. Cuesta College and Governor's State University are both using CE4.1 currently.

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