An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter- Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions

Internet Journal of e-language Learning & Teaching, 1(2), July 2004, 33-47 An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter- Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions BERHANNUDIN MOHD SALLEH Center for Humanities Studies and Communication Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn, Malaysia E-mail: berhans@hotmail.com WAN FARA ADLINA WAN MANSOR, Ph.D Department of Modern Languages Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Malaysia E-mail:drwanfara@yahoo.com Abstract This paper presents the findings of several short studies on the use of an online forum in learning the English language. Participants of the study consisted of several cohorts of Engineering and TESL undergraduates from Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn (KUiTTHO) and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). It involved students interacting in an online conferencing over a period of about 15 weeks each. However, this paper shall limit itself to discussing the effectiveness of the online platform focusing on its usage as a tool for enhancing academic and social aspects of undergraduates life as engineering and TESL students respectively. Using mostly qualitative means of data analysis, the findings reveal that the particular online platform has the power to enhance extensive use of the target language and nurture harmonious socio-cultural understandings and relationships between groups of students from distinct backgrounds. Online Forum and ESL Learners Online forums are still quite new to the language classrooms, specifically, the ESL classrooms in Malaysia. Teachers are reported to use computer moderately in teaching, as found by Robiah and Juhana (2002), that they basically use word processor in teaching and file management, but hardly use data base programme or multimedia presentation and graphic presentation. They also use the computer or web page in teaching and use the Internet occasionally in a year to prepare notes, lesson plans, examination questions and to manage files and records. Currently, Nicenet or Internet Classroom Assistant (ICA) as it was named, is very popular among advocates of Virtual Classroom. Nicenet is a very valuable resource for educators because it is a sophisticated communication tool that brings powerful web-based conferencing, personal messaging, document sharing, scheduling and resource sharing which are essential to effective distance learning. It is a classroom assistant to all teachers, and in this case to two ESL teachers. Its ISBN 983-2975-15-8

34 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina user-friendliness and simplicity of its Graphic User Interface (GUI) features made it a favorite among the students in this study. According to Abdul Halim, Hisham and Azilah (2000), Nicenet gives the following advantages of using the online forum: 1. The use of Nicenet gives students certain kind of enjoyment without having to pay a cent to take advantage of web-based classroom opportunity. 2. Nicenet provides Internet Classroom Assistant (ICA) that allows teachers to create as many classes for their students to use with unlimited time. 3. ICA has a few features that enable students and teachers to interact with one another, in asynchronous mode. 4. Conferencing allows teachers and students to create their own private, threaded conferencing on topics they like. 5. Personal Messaging, which is similar to traditional e-mail but fully integrated document sharing and conferencing, personal messaging is a great way to communicate with and between individuals in the class, comment privately on conference postings or give private feedback on published papers. 6. Link Sharing allows teachers and students to display any interesting or favorite websites. 7. Students feel more relaxed and comfortable when they log on the Nicenet and are allowed to practice the target language with minimal barriers. A research done by Braunstein, Meloni, and Zolotareva (2000) in the U.S- SiberLink Internet Project showed that CMC i) managed to help students in both countries compare the different writing styles in Russia and USA and within their own countries and ii) brought information about students living in both countries to strengthen the cultural exchange and social relationships between the two countries. Similarly, this computer-mediated communication (CMC) tool has somehow transformed the way language learners, specifically the Engineering and the TESL undergraduates, use the target language extensively in everyday settings while nurturing the cultural and social understandings as well as establishing social relationships. This can be seen in Thiba s (2002) analysis of the language used by these 2 groups, whereby students i) code switched to make communication through the forum more casually and friendly, ii) greeted and welcomed every new member, iii) tried their best to be polite as seen from the postings in the Nicenet and iv) tried to meet up in person to strengthen the ties between both learning institutions (see examples below).

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 35 (Thiba 2002; p.21: Ex.2) FROM: CSA (12:03 PM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: welcome kh [Reply Send a personal message to CSA] sure no hard feelings. Welcome to these discussion programme. Do feel free to pen down your opinion on the topic here. [Reply Send a personal message to CSA] (Thiba 2002 p. 22: Ex. 4) FROM: AM (4:21 AM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: 6 thing we can do [Reply Send a personal message to mohd AM] 1. we can push the button up and down. 2. eat something that a bad smell like petai, durian or something can make you termuntah. 3. sing a sound. Tips, for whose that want to be a superstar, you can practice in a lift, whether your sound like katak panggil hujan. 4. you also can read or do homework in a lift. take a chair and desk, put in a lift, and study there. no one will disturb u unless pegawai hospital sakit jiwa. 5. u also can make a lift be your house, 6. maybe u can write or draw and paint it so looking colourfull. so that i guess, what bi will do in a lift (Thiba 2002; p.25: Ex. 9) FROM: Y K.C. ( 10:25 AM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: hi everyone [Reply Send a personal message to Y K.C.] hi everyone.! Am YKC from KUiTTHO.I think most of u all have been chatting for numerous times already! Just hope I am not too late to join u ppl..so how do u all find corresponding this way???fun????anyway nice to hear from all of u(except for those in KUiTTHO).Hope to know u ppl from UTM better.if u all have any doubts about KUiTTHO just ask us n I will try my very best to enlighten u all May be we can organize a combine meet or a kind of interaction between us to aech other better.can any of u give ur class rep cantat number so that we can make this possible???

36 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina (Thiba 2002; p. 26: Ex. 10) FROM: CSA ( 2:55 PM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: sure [Reply Send a personal message to CSA] Well looks as if somebody is rushin in the conversation here. Hahaha.Well if you can get any numbers then I feel that you should ask their permission first before calling them. Wouldn t want to have a total stranger calling would they. So that s why we can converse here and chat up thru phone when possible. Hanna and de Nooy (2003) were interested in finding out what would happen to a group of French students when they ventured out of their language classroom into the virtual environment where they participated in online discussion with native speakers of French. They believed that the students participation in such discussions was very much influenced by their awareness of their cultural and general modes. Hanna and de Nooy were also convinced that the electronic or online discussions were very much inflected by cultural and generic expectations by different individuals. Many studies have established the reputation of asynchronous communication as an effective tool for language learning. Please refer to the summary of these studies in Table 1. Statement of the Problem Students in Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussien Onn (KUiTTHO), as in many other higher learning institutions, find that time is of utmost constraint. Their learning schedule is so compact that they hardly find time to indulge themselves in good reading or take part in casual intelligent discussions using the English language. Given the limited contact hours and the huge number of students per class here in KUiTTHO, which is approximately 60 students in each, it would be rather difficult for learners to enjoy the luxury of individual attention from their teachers regarding their practice and usage of the target language. Even if that is possible, there is the question of how much in terms of topic and content can one learn within a 45-hour period per semester merely using traditional means of chalk and talk? In addition, as future engineering professionals, the students need to be proficient in the English language. They need to be able to communicate effectively when participating in meetings, presenting their project proposals, negotiating with potential clients and competitors, and completing many other communicative tasks required of them. However, the learners seemed short of opportunities, venues and support to help them improve on their command of the target language. Nicenet, or online forum, to a certain extent, would be able to fulfill this need.

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 37 Table 1: Summary of Asynchronous Communication as an Effective Tool Studies Davis & Brewer (1997) All writing stays in the conference, a text can continue to have an effect even though its writer has departed hence it is ultimately the text, representing the writer, has impact and sustains the conference. Participants do not need to bid for the floor as in normal conversation. The conferences conferred community upon the participants. The participants will exploit the resources they brought to the conference, resources drawn from their previous educational socialization with print literacy and also from their lifetime of conversation, in order to create additional or new meaning. Crystal (2001) Teachers and students gain equal participation. Reserved students could find opportunity to make their voice heard and express something novel and simulating. The feeling of equality allows the language to serve as the means to establish and maintain group membership and identity. Bollati (2002) Students choose topics that are of interest to classmates and these generate many responses and references are often made to other students ideas while writing their own. students respond to classmates writing as a partner not as an evaluator. In discussion board students tend to open and close their journals with greetings, ask more questions, produce more language functions, spontaneous writing. These ESL learners, and many others nationwide, are shy at using the target language for fear of making mistakes or being laughed at by their peers including those at KUiTTHO and UTM (Berhannudin, 2001). Not only are they afraid of their language instructors but also of their friends. Some of KUiTTHO s female students especially felt that they might be rejected by their friends if they were too active in their English language class so much so that they preferred to remain passive despite having the urge to participate in oral interactions. Bahiyah (1992) reports how some undergraduates prefer to hide in silence than participate in oral interactions hence, missing the opportunity to practice and improve the target language. Below are some of KUiTTHO students responses

38 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina regarding their reluctance to use the English language as taken from their online communication (Table 2). Table 2: Reasons Why Students are Reluctant to Use English Student 1 Maybe I afraid of making mistake, Student 2 I have to answer in face to face with my lecturer it made me nervous and my idea was hard to come out. Student 3 In the class,i feel embarrase because i scare when i make a mistake, my classmate will laugh at me Student 4 Even so, i still seldom upload my opinion because i still can not beat my inferiority complex. Everytime i log-in, i have get ready a dictionary by my side, that's why i spend a lot of time to send a message. Dont you (sir) think that i am stupid?! Since many ESL instructors adopt a rigid by the book approach when conducting English language lessons, many learners are afraid to even try to use the language. Furthermore, many of these teachers adopted the teacher-centered approach rather than the student-centered one. Therefore, most of these learners are fearful of making mistakes since they know they are being evaluated or graded in everything they do. The fact that their peers might laugh at their mistakes is another matter. This is further compounded by the fact that ideas are hard to come and that oral discourse or face-to-face interactions need instantaneous or impromptu responses and feedback. The problem of inferiority complex or low self-esteem among our ESL learners is so strong that at times teachers would have students in their class who deemed themselves as being dim-witted as mentioned by one of these KUiTTHO students when he said Dont you (sir) think that i am stupid?! (Nicenet class) Thus, this paper hopes to highlight how the use of an online forum such as the one used in these projects has benefited the students extensive use of the target language, both academically and socially. Research Design The participants were mostly engineering undergraduates from KUiTTHO and TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) undergraduates from UTM. We

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 39 wanted to understand the ethnographic nature of how two groups of students from different academic backgrounds (Engineering and Humanities), different universities, interact with each other and to find out what they talk about. For example, the kinds of topics they initiated for further discussions, strategies used to sustain the forum, and forms of language used to maintain the interests among the two groups. The fact that they come from different backgrounds and did not know one another made the study more interesting and rewarding. This study adopted an online learning platform available on the Internet identified as Internet Classroom Assistant (ICA) or simply known as Nicenet. Nicenet is a Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) tool freely available on the Internet for use in education. The platform is user-friendly whereby the facilities are simple and very straightforward. Creating and registering for a class are very easy and take only 5 minutes even for an Internet novice. Having been given a 15-30 minute demonstration, participants can register themselves on their own and at their own leisure for an individual username and password at www.nicenet.org. Using the Class Key (a kind of password) given by the lecturer students can then register to join the class for e-conferencing. Once enrolled in the class, students can begin participating in the discussions mooted by the lecturer and by other participants themselves. They can read the postings of others and then respond to them or create a new topic for discussion. Participants of Nicenet also have the facility to send and receive personal messages using a messaging facility provided. There is also a Link Sharing facility where members of the forum can use to recommend suitable websites of common interest for others to visit (see Appendix 1). The e-conferencing session ran for 15 consecutive weeks. Throughout the period students were exposed to various treatments like being shown a movie or documentary video first followed by discussions in Nicenet and vice versa. They were also given reading assignments several days earlier either from printed materials like articles from the newspaper or the Internet. The idea here was to provide them with the necessary input and also to see if they would be able to apply what ever they might have read outside Nicenet only to be discussed within the virtual forum. Data collected, specifically the postings sent by the students, Engineering and the TESL undergraduates, were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. After printing out the postings, we searched for patterns and tried to classify them into categories based on our research questions: In what way does online forum (Nicenet): a. encourage/discourage the extensive use of the target language among the two groups of students? b. establish social relationships between the two groups (Engineering and TESL)?

40 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina Findings and Discussions Initially, the creation of topics for discussion was only limited to the administrators of the two classes the authors. The students were asked to respond only to the issues raised with the intention of exposing them to mastering several linguistic elements of the target language as deemed necessary then (discourse, grammar, vocabulary, etc). However, this did not go well with the students since they did not get the chance to initiate new topics for discussion. It seemed that the students wanted to do more than just being merely followers of instructions. They wanted a more prominent role in the whole process of learning the language and one best way of doing so was to give them the liberty to be the master and creator of their own learning. Thus, from the next Nicenet class, the students were given the facility to initiate and create new topics of discussion (by means of simple setting inside Nicenet) the outcome of which was encouraging. The following are the topics which the students came up with (Table 3). Table 3: Topics for discussions created by the students Everyone must have had boring experience in getting in a lift especially when we are going way, way up to the 109 th floor. What six things can you do in a lift to make life inside that cubicle a lot more fun? UTM/ KUiTTHO, which is the best? Opinions about Movies watched. Relationship is serious yes/ no? About Love Talking to the Lecturers, get to know them in person One of the most popular uses of Nicenet among the participants is the academic discussion. They discussed matters related to their specific field of study at university and also those that are general but still academic. The examples below are some of the issues discussed by the students in Nicenet (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 41 FROM: CWM (09/11/01 2:36 AM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: how to remember something well [Reply Send a personal message to cwm] hi,friends! i also agree with ur, i think formula should be given to students while the exam.cause we are engineering students those need to solve the problem but not memolized the formula.as i know that the question of the engineering subject sometimes cant solve it even given the formula,it need well understanding. since u are talking about memorized formula, i'd like give some opinion on how to remember something well.such are we must first form vivid impressions of things we want to remember. This can be achived through attentive concentration that makes use of our senses.we must also realise that by repeating something at regular intervals we can memorise anything. Next, we must ensure that we encode our memories well using techniques like association. To remember new ideas we make them meaningful by relating them to past memories using all the five senses and other association strategies. so thats my opinion about it. hope it benefit to all. bye.have a nice day. Figure 1: Sample Message Showing Discussion of Academic Matters on Memorized Formula FROM: OMF (07/30/01 12:46 PM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: [Reply Send a personal message to OMF] The first impression when I see the Perodua kelisa picture in the front view is very good and something special design. Why I say this statement? Below is my answer. FRONT SIDE Firstly, in the front side of produa kelisa is look like very simple, very clear design and something new in design. The headlamp and the front bonnet look like unique and follow the latest trend. In addition, the headlamp are design couple with an eye-catching multireflector. Besides, the overall framing design is round shape and the length of the car is no so long. It is very suitable and easy for small family to travel anywhere and campaign. REAR SIDE Secondly, in the rear side of produa kelisa is look like aeroback style which is the most favourite design which people and the buyer like. In the rear side of produo kelisa, I also can see the the sunshine cover fabricate and install very nice.in addition, the rear lights have clear lenses with coloured bulbs. INSIDE Thirdly, the inside of produo kelisa also has a new design and look lie better than produa kancil and produa kenari. All the meter shape also change and design in the appear look out. The arrangement ot the control button very clear and tidy. The only item which I do not like is the stering. This is because the stering which still using the old design which the size is too small and easy to dirty. Finnaly, my overall observation of produa kelisa is very good, nice and something new design compare with other produa car design. Figure 2: Sample Message Showing Discussion of Academic Matters on Perodua Kelisa

42 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina In the first message posted by CWM, she shared her knowledge and skill on how to memorize mathematical formula. She listed some tips and elaborated each one briefly enough to help others apply on their own. The topic she discussed is academically relevant since engineering students learn and use a lot of mathematics in their assignments. In the second posting, OMF elaborated what he thought about the supposedly new Malaysian made car Perodua Kelisa. He divided his description of the car into several paragraphs with headings showing good organization of ideas. Both messages above highlighted how Conferencing Room in Nicenet has been put to good use for discussing academic matters relevant to the needs of the engineering students. However, the cluster of messages below highlights (Figure 3) how Nicenet has been used for socializing instead. FROM: TAL (03/18/01 8:58 AM GMT -06:00) SUBJECT: Haloooo... :Þ [Reply Send a personal message to TAL] Hi everyone...i'm A--- L--- from KUiTTHO...If I descibe myself as a small and cute girl...i think people who know me will surely agree...i'm now 3rd year second sem. in mech.eng...glad to know u all... REPLIES (2): [ Hide Replies ] FROM: YF (TESL) (03/18/01 8:47 PM GMT -06:00) [ Send a personal message to YF (TESL)] SUBJECT: hi there [Edit Delete] hi a--- l---. nice to see u here although i never see you in person before. nice and cute gal? that's a pretty confidence introduction that might attract ppl's attention! i'm y f-- from utm. 2nd year, tesl... FROM: AT (03/18/01 11:20 AM GMT -06:00) [ Send a personal message to AT] SUBJECT: i agre... [Edit Delete] she is a very cute and small gal. Our class baby actuallu...hahahah Figure 3: Sample Cluster of Messages Highlighting Use of Nicenet for Socializing. The cluster of messages in the box above highlights how students have used Nicenet for nurturing harmonious relationship. Despite not knowing one another and coming from different universities (KUiTTHO & UTM) members of the KUiTTHO-UTM Nicenet class managed to strike up casual conversations where later on towards the end of the semester they became good friends. It was a surprise to us when we found out that the TESL students at UTM and the Engineering students at KUiTTHO had been exchanging visits.

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 43 Nicenet also provides a facility where members can share and recommend relevant website links to others. Below is a list of some of the links submitted by the participants consisting of both academic and non-academic ones: Famous Quote [Edit Delete] [Posted By: TSL] want to feel motivated? or just want to read quotes by famous people around the world? good link for english comm practice [Edit Delete] [Posted By: AS] if u are interested in watching or listening to british accent... this is the site mind ur english [Edit Delete] [Posted By: Antidotes] Circles99 [Edit Delete] [Posted By: kcy] A communication tool as it allows users or members to communicate with each other body language [Edit Delete] [Posted By: aru338] body languange center Aidil Fitri E-Card Link [Edit Delete] [Posted By: ecom] for u to send a card to me... ;) Chinese Proverbs and Idioms [Edit Delete] [Posted By: L_SSK] The Job Interview [Edit Delete] [Posted By: d'rose] {Power Point Presentation} help you to accumulate more informations on this subject matter... A new and modest city in Malaysia... [Edit Delete] [Posted By: [^as-shahid^]] Cyberjaya,a city for the 21st century,learn about the msc and its application communication skill tests [Edit Delete] [Posted By: sitikuitthotm] Find out your own level of interpersonal communication skills with the Communication Skills Test A Tribute To Dr. Mahathir. [Edit Delete] [Posted By: kcyap] take this opportunity to thank Dr. Mahathir for his 21 years of contribution and effort. Log on to www.thankyoupm.com and pledge your support now! cnn [Edit Delete] [Posted By: ecom] online paper Chess - The test of time [Edit Delete] [Posted By: cw] Wanna to know more about the most beautiful board game in the world?click here! Minutes of Industrial Meetings [Edit Delete] [Posted By: ecom] Real examples of minutes of industrial meetings for reference. islamic server [Edit Delete] [Posted By: Antidotes] emm..try to find ur trurh path..plzzz!!! The list of website links above highlights the kinds of topics or issues that participants found relevant and interesting to share with. They included themes that range from entertainment to politics. A consequence of this is that the students were exposed to varieties of information which would be good for their all-round intellectual development.

44 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina Members of the virtual forum also corresponded about academic and social matters using Personal Messages facility. Normally they used this facility to discuss private matters and to gain more personal attention from a particular member in Nicenet. Below is an example of the kinds of issues that participants talked about (Figure 5). FROM: an (3/6/03 3:37AM) SUBJECT: Opinions posted in Nicenet?? (You have replied to this message) [Reply Again Archive Delete Forward] Is the opinions on the NICENET, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CLASS and SEX EDUCATION we posted in Nicenet will be counted in our final marks? What if some students use their nickname to online in Nicenet? How can I know what marks i get for my nicenet assignment?i am just eager to know it b'cos i've put in much effort in the assignment.. It's enjoyable to join your class and I hope after this semester we can still see u around in KUiTTHO ~^_^~ ANCL Figure 5: Personal Message Facilities As found in this study, the students were greatly motivated in expressing their opinions on various issues at hand. They are now able to talk and socialize with others of different religious, racial and ethnic background. For many, Nicenet has actually helped them to become more confident and spontaneous in using the target language (Berhannudin, 2001; Berhannudin & Wan Fara Adlina, 2002). The uniqueness of the tool has also enabled participants to socialize among themselves despite the distance, different academic and social backgrounds (Grossman, 2002; Ghazali, 1999; Wan Fara Adlina, 1998; Warschauer; 1989). They interacted freely at any time they want. The user-friendliness of Nicenet has actually made the process of teaching and learning the target language fun and enriching. Conclusion and Implications In this age of the Internet where schools will soon be fully equipped with computer facilities, teachers are encouraged to use computers in their teaching. In language teaching for instance, teachers could motivate their students to browse educational websites or meet the students online through chatrooms or even have regular online discussions using the target language. Online forums or discussions using such facilities as Nicenet are free and easy to learn. Furthermore, being asynchronous, students have time to think while practicing to write in English aside from getting the opportunity to use the target language outside their classrooms.

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 45 The study managed to procure qualitative data to show that the Engineering and the TESL undergraduates use the target language extensively in the online forum while nurturing the cultural and social understandings as well as established social relationships among themselves, a sense of belonging to a community despite coming from different learning institutions. Thus, the reputation of asynchronous communication as an effective tool for encouraging language learning is established as students take the initiative to initiate new topics for discussion, taking a pro-active stance in their own learning plus the benefit of socialization, building a closer rapport with each other. References Abdul Halim M., Hisham D. & Azilah K. (2000). Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC): A learning Tool to Improve Students English as a Second Language (ESL) Writing at Universiti Utara Malaysia. Proceedings of the International Conference on Teaching and Learning at Putrajaya. 24 25 Nov. Bahiyah, A. H. (1992). "Malu" - Shyness and Shyness Behaviour in the English Language Classroom. The English Teacher, 21: 97-107. Berhannudin M. S. (2001). Training Future Professionals to Speak the English Language Via E-Conferencing: A Malaysian Experience. Paper presented at the 49 th International TEFLIN 2001 Conference at Hotel Sahid Raya, Bali, Indonesia. 6-8 Nov. Berhannudin M. S. & Wan Fara Adlina W. M. (2002). Speaking Online is Fun. Paper presented at the 4 th Malaysia International English Language Teaching Conference (MICELT 2002) at Seremban Hilton. 7-9 May. Bollati, A. (2002.). Creating A Learning Community Through Electronic Journaling. The Internet TESL Journal, 8(9), September. Braunstein, B., Meloni, & C. Zolotareva, L. (2000). The U.S.-SiberLink Internet Project. Teaching English As A Second or Foreign Language, 4(3), May. Ghazali Bunari. (1999). A Study on the Use of Virtual Debate for Language Learning Among Eight Electrical Engineering Students. Unpublished M.Ed. TESL Project Work. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Skudai. Grossman, L. (2002). Sim Nation. Time Magazine, Dec. 9. pp. 56-58. Hanna, B.E. & de Nooy, J. (2003). A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Electronic Discussion and Foreign Language Learning. Language Learning and Technology Journal,. 7(1), January.

46 Berhanuddin Mohd. Salleh & Wan Fara Adlina Robiah Sidin & Juhana Salim. (2002). Education for All: The Case of Information Technology and Communication in Malaysian Schools. Proceedings of International Conference on Education for All. Renaissance Palm Garden Hotel. Oct. 1-2. Thiba N.C. (2002). An Analysis on the Language Used by College Undergraduates in Nicenet Virtual Forum. Unpublished Undergraduate Writing Project. TESL Thesis. Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. Skudai. Wan Fara Adlina W. M. (1998). Interaction on the Network: A Case of PENMOO Among ESL Learners. Unpublished Ph.D Dissertation. University of Pennsylvania, USA. Warschauer, M. (1989). Interaction, Negotiation and Computer-Mediated Learning. (available online). http://www.insalyon.fr/departments/cdrl/interaction.html (September 19, 2000).

An Online Forum: A Tool for Enhancing Inter-Academic and Socio-cultural Interactions 47 Appendix 1: Main Page of Nicenet Showing Learning Facilities Available.