Inbox Shock: A Study of Electronic Message Volume in a Distance Managerial Communication Course

As institutions of higher education strive to serve students who are diverse and geographically dispersed, many of them are implementing distance education pro grams using technology-mediated communication. Research reveals that distance education is often as effective as traditional education; howe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Business communication quarterly 2002-09, Vol.65 (3), p.9-28
Main Authors: Hartman, Jackie, Lewis, Jeffrey S., Powell, Karen Sterkel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business Administration Education
Business communication
Business communications
Business education
Chat rooms
College campuses
Communication
Communication channels
Communication Research
Computer programming
Correlation analysis
Correspondence
Distance Education
Distance learning
Educational technology
Electronic Mail
Electronic mail systems
Higher Education
Instructional Effectiveness
Interpersonal Communication
Master of business administration degree
Masters of Business Administration
MBA programs & graduates
Methods
Nontraditional students
Study and teaching
Teachers
Teaching
Teams
Workloads
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Summary:As institutions of higher education strive to serve students who are diverse and geographically dispersed, many of them are implementing distance education pro grams using technology-mediated communication. Research reveals that distance education is often as effective as traditional education; however, teachers and stu dents are confronted with a variety of obstacles. Thus educators need to determine the most effective and efficient methods of communicating with distance students. An examination of e-mail messages sent to the instructor of an MBA class by dis tance students reveals that the volume of messages sent depends on students' tech nology proficiency, ability to process and seek out information, topic affinity, and relational needs. Furthermore, the findings reveal that an instructor can decrease the volume of messages received by researching the student population, communi cating proactively, and taking advantage of the messaging system's tools.
ISSN:1080-5699
2329-4906
1552-4191
2329-4922
DOI:10.1177/108056990206500303