GSS to support classroom discussion: opportunities and pitfalls

One type of information technology which has the potential to support learning is group support system (GSS) technology. This study investigates the opportunities and pitfalls associated with using GSS to support discussion in the college classroom. As the prior research in this area is not extensive, this study is exploratory in nature. The primary contribution of the paper is that it identifies important issues which should be considered by educators who wish to use GSS to support classroom discussions. In this study, the use of GSS improved participation and had favorable impacts on selected perceptions of the discussion experience (e.g., process losses, structure, and classroom climate). However, the use of GSS did not significantly increase the subjects' perceptions of synergy, quality of contributions, or learning. The implications of the findings for future research are discussed.