- Text only web based synchronous forum that enables multiple users to be online and in the same online "room" typing their comments to each other. As soon as the user clicks "enter" his/her text message appears immediately on the screen of all users who are in the "room." Messages appear in the order in which they were entered.
- All users have Internet connection; broadband connection not necessary but does reduce load time. Chat feature is usually part of a course management system (e.g. WebCT) and is also built into Web Crossing.
For example, this is a sample chat room (this chat feature is part of the Web Crossing system). Chat sessions screens typically consist of 3 sections:
a. Main window (shown top left in example here): this shows a chronological transcript of all comments that have been posted in the chat session.
b. List of participants in the session (in this example, only the host is in the "room" so only one participant -- hrallis -- is listed).
c. The message composition window (shown on bottom): this is the space where users type comments. As soon as the users hits the enter/return key, their comments will be displayed in the main window.
- When 2 or more users (including but not requiring instructor) need to communicate synchronously but do not need or have access to video/audio
- When purpose of communication is brief and not in depth, e.g., virtual office hours, remote learners &/or speakers sending questions to classroom; informal social or procedural chat.
- Enables multiple users to communicate (in writing) easily, quickly, and efficiently over the Internet from any location (world wide), even with a slow connection.
- Students who cannot meet f2f to discuss group projects can do so via chat.
- Virtual office hours via chat enable students to access advisor or instructor with quick questions. Even students who don't have questions or feel unsure what to ask can "lurk" and learn from what others say.
- Because comments posted in chat are not threaded, if more than a handful of users are in a chat room at a time, the discussion becomes very difficult to follow.
- Chat tends to be superficial in nature because for it to function effectively, posts have to be kept very short and typed quickly. This also means that participants have very little time to reflect before posting, so this environment is not appropriate for engaging in meaningful critical discussion.
- Depending on the tool used, chat sessions may not be able to be saved, and users entering the chat room late cannot access the transcript of the discussion that took place prior to their arrival.
- Because of the rapid-fire nature of synchronous written communication in chat windows, users report that this tool is of limited value in discussing issues that require depth of reflection and depth of responses (thus this tool best used for procedural discussions and virtual office hours). Complex issues can be glossed over and oversimplified because of the need to keep posts short.
- Users need to develop skills in how to write short, clear comments that are still respectful of others (as it is so easy to misinterpret what people write and to read into their comments things that were not intended).Younger users tend to be more skilled in the use of instant messaging jargon than non-traditional students & faculty.