Negotiating Meaning in Virtual Teams: Context, Roles and Computer-Mediated Communication in College Classrooms

Abstract

In this chapter is a study of the communication practices of students and their instructors collaborating on virtual team projects as part of small group and team communication classes at three universities — two in the United States, and one in the Philippines. Presented are three themes from student and instructor discourse that emerged as crucial in the development of the teams as they completed the project: negotiation of context, negotiation of roles, and negotiation of technology. The authors hope that attentiveness to these themes by other faculty facilitating virtual team projects in their courses will better equip students to effectively work in virtual teams and lead to greater student learning of the role communication plays in virtual teams. Attentiveness to these themes may also be of use in corporate applied instructional and training situations.