Share Paper: Taking the Message Out of the Bottle: An Information-Rich Spatial Message Board and Outlining Tool

  1. Andrew Moshirnia, Harvard Law School, United States
  2. Maya Israel, University of Cincinnati, United States
Friday, October 30 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Grand Ballroom C

Abstract: The message board is a staple of most distance education courses. Although the tool emerged as a simple way to allow for asynchronous communication, its feature set has stagnated in academia. While message boards outside of academia have adopted numerous conventions to increase communication richness, such as embedded icons and hierarchical organization, these features are largely absent from academic tools.This paper details the development of a new spatial message board tool based on mind mapping software for use a top-10 law school in the United States. The software adds spatial and graphical organization in an attempt to increase student comprehension ...