Assessing Two Techniques For Evaluating E-Collaboration Sessions
Abstract: In this paper, two classic techniques for evaluating group and team discussions were presented and assessed for their potential to evaluate e-collaboration sessions. The two techniques were Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis and Benne and Sheats’ Role Analysis. A study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the techniques. In the study six e-collaboration groups (five members each) of upper-level undergraduate students discussed two problems in two e-collaboration sessions under different conditions. In the first condition no roles were assigned to the group members. In the second condition, two participants in each group were secretly assigned to play roles that Benne and Sheats found to retard group success. Transcripts of all group performances were analyzed by Bales’ Interaction Process Analysis. Results of the study showed that the techniques were successful in discriminating successful e-collaboration performances from unsuccessful or dysfunctional performances.
Presider: Annette Baumann, Technische Universitaet Muenchen