Marisa Bortolussi, professor from the Comparative Literature at University of Alberta, spoke of her experience with learning technology.

"It is indeed very rewarding to see students benefited from the technology I use in the course" said Marisa.

She used computer conferencing for the peer evaluation exercise in a graduate seminar course. She sets high expectations and sees herself as a guide and a facilitator for her students. Six students in this course were engaged in a research project and they all worked together to accomplish a goal - advance the theories on Magical Realism and produce publishable papers. Online conferencing supported communication among the students, and therefore, fostered a positive team spirit.

The overall research process was broken down into some discrete tasks. First, each students must propose a topic, write a research proposal and post it in the online conference. Each proposal was reviewed by two students, who provided constructive criticism and feedback. The student reviewers and authors used the conferencing features to discuss their ideas and exchange documents. Marisa guided her students throughout the course, stressing not only the product - the final research report, but also the process - how to collaborate on a project. The role-play element of this exercises prepared students for the real-life research and publication tasks.

It was certainly a very different learning experience for the students. Some were not comfortable giving and receiving criticism; some were not used to teamwork. However, they did see the benefits of this peer review exercise and appreciated the convenience and empowerment a conferencing tool has to offer. Students all thought that the conferencing facilitated their communication and helped build a positive research community in this course.

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