Fall+2007,+Gfhs

E-learning was chosen as the group’s topic for two reasons: It is still a relatively new concept and many scholarly publications have given it press, and group members had professional experiences with e-learning. E-learning sub-topics considered were as follows: Of the sub-topics considered, a real-life scenario from one group member prompted the group to choose “audio in online course delivery”. In the sample situation, her company desired conversion from traditional course materials to online documents. Voiceover talent was required for the audio component, and course audiences were typically minority and often women. Therefore, the following question was raised: //What type of voices was most effective for diverse audiences?/How does multiculturalism of students/audience affect the design and development of audio and dialogue in e-learning?// Another group member had experienced voice-related problems in business, such as understanding unfamiliar accents and using voice-automated systems. The group member also dealt with the perception of age and authority when conversing with employees via the telephone. Through sharing like experiences, group members began to understand how aspects of voice could have a profound effect in material reception. Thus, the topic of e-learning was narrowed to “audio content and multiculturalism in e-learning”. ** Key words ** To define a list of key words, group members used various methods. One was to center efforts on “focus” words within the overall idea, brainstorming synonyms and like topics. Such words included “audio”, “e-learning” and “diverse/multiculturalism”. Another was to use focus terms during the search process. For example, using the focus term “multicultural” led to articles, websites and random online comments displaying language used to discuss the subject. With this process, certain focus terms produced a result more relevant to the topic than others. Group members had the most success with coupled key words in the search process. Of the key words identified, those shown in red were very effective. (See below.) After defining keywords, group members explored articles considered secondary literature, beginning with a basic "Google" search, then proceeding to specific publications, followed by resources available through Joyner Library. Several key word combinations yielded off-topic results. For example: The search for pronunciation and e-learning produced interesting web sites devoted to helping people overcome speech accents and speech recognition software. Information was available through industry channels supporting e-learning activities, such as the following: Of journal articles available, the following appeared to be most pertinent: Throughout the search process there were recurrent difficulties, such as limited access to websites requiring membership, or journals available for subscribers only. Also, working with Joyner Library resources proved to be less productive than hoped. Overall, there was not a plethora of material found on the chosen subject. This suggested either the topic should be further narrowed (focus on a particular cultural or demographic trait such as gender, age, race, education level), or that little research has been done in the specified area.
 * Topic: E-learning **
 * Topic Search **
 * curriculum development
 * e-learning rhetoric and discourse
 * interactivity of e-learning
 * retention/effectiveness
 * introducing new technologies
 * working with the computer illiterate
 * __ Audio - __ voiceover/voice-over/voice over, communicative competence, speech, hearing, talking, listening, voice, tone, pronunciation, dialect ||
 * __ E-learning ____ - __ online, technology, training, processing, computer, education, content design, virtual communities, podcasting, online education, education-curricula, web-based curriculum, multicultural education, educational technology, pedagogy/pedagogical, industry training, adult education ||
 * __ Diverse/multiculturalism - __ culturally neutral/culturally specific/culturally grounded, eurocentric paradigms, intercultural communication, gender, race, age, occupation, education, where one lives (out West, up North), culture studies, cross-cultural, acculturation, socio-economic/socioeconomic ||
 * Literature Search **
 * __ listening and e-learning: __ The act of actually being a participant in the learning process
 * __ hearing and e-learning: __ Sites discussing how e-learning helps those with speech difficulties and other disabilities
 * __ speech and e-learning: __ Adults and literacy
 * __ e-learning and occupation: __ Information on health and safety occupations
 * P.H. Brink International (http://www.merrillbrink.com/papers/e-learning.pdf), which had a good marketing source of information on their web site.
 * Voice 123 ( [|http://__www.voice123.com__] )
 * Clark Training and Consulting (http://www.clarktraining.com/) owned by author Dr. Ruth Clark, a prominent voice in the industry.
 * Johari, Abbas., Joanne P.H. Bentley, Mari Vawn Tinney, and Chia Bing Howe "Intercultural Internet-based learning: Know your audience and what it values." //Educational Technology Research and Development// 53.2 (2005).
 * Levinsen, K.T. "Qualifying online teachers: Communicative skills and their impact on e-learning quality." //Education and Information Technologies//. 12.1 (2007): 41-51.
 * Crisp, P. "E-learning and language and style in Hong Kong." //Language and Literature// 15.3 (2006): 277-290.
 * Faiola, A. and S.A. Matei. "Cultural cognitive style and Web design: Beyond a behavioral inquiry into computer-mediated communication." //Journal of Computer Mediated Communication.// 11.1 (2005).
 * Maule, R.W. "Content design frameworks for Internet studies curricula and research." //Internet Research// 8.2 (1998): 174-184.
 * Conclusion **