Employing Collaborative Learning Strategies in Online Conflict Resolution

Samir A. El Seoud, Carme Anguera-Iglesias, Marga Franco-Casamitjana, Miguel A. Garcia-Ruiz, Arthur Edwards Block
2007 International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)  
Although some critics may argue that conflictresolution cannot be carried out appropriately by virtualeducation, the basic elements of conflict present themselveswithin distance education courses, which can provide richenvironments to practice mediation and resolution. Newcommunication technologies and Internet tools maketraining persons from all over the world possible, thuspermitting conflict resolution tools to cascade withindifferent pluralistic organizations or groups of persons
more » ... nt backgrounds that must interact in order to achievea common goal. Conflict resolution, in short, adds to thepositive socio-emotional atmosphere of an organization andleads to greater trust, a vital component in anyorganization. The innovative use of technology and Internettools provides a new medium for conflict resolution thatrepresents an interesting and important area of research.The methodology we propose permits participants to notonly coexist within a distance education course, but toactually overcome barriers to cooperation, includinginterpersonal, cultural, ethnic, religious, and organizationaldifferences, to name a few. Conflict is a naturalphenomenon that occurs as a consequence of humaninteraction. The goal of our research is to provide a spacefor individuals to master the skills necessary to minimizethe negative consequences that can result when the sourcesof conflicts are not quickly identified, confronted andresolved in a fair and amicable atmosphere of mutualcaring and respect.
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