Role of Computer Mediated Communication in solving collaborative learning empowerment problems in higher education: a case study of Oman

Abstract

The concept of collaborative work is gaining rapid acceptance in almost all disciplines of numerous organizations in the world like financial institutions, educational institutions, and business organizations (Ancona, 1990; Bettenhausen, 1991; Gallucci, 1985). Switzer and Shriner (2000) were of the view that students are the most obvious party who benefit from collaborative group work among students, faculty members, and the community. According to them there are four overlapping types of benefits for students. These are: 1) immediate educational benefits, 2) immediate social benefits, 3) critical thinking benefits, and 4) long-term career benefits.

Research suggests that Face to Face (FTF) interaction in collaborative learning does not solve the communication problems in Arabic culture due to religious and cultural factors. It is necessary to think of an alternative that would respect the general scope of collaborative work (in terms of its multisided but interactive effect) but favour women’s involvement in sharing and communicating information with their male fellows. This can be fulfilled through the use of Computer mediated communication (CMC).

This study will build on previous IT & collaborative learning related researches. Lakoff (1975), Radino (1997), Lawrance (1992), and Yates (2001) were of the opinion that FTF communication will not solve the gender related problems in collaborative work, because through FTF interaction the male dominant role can be produced due to: identity of the speaker, eye contact, nodding, moving the hands, and facial expressions etc. The present research will step forward on the findings of O’Gara and Taggart (2004), which stated that in developing countries IT can be used as a tool of empowering group members in collaborative activities.

Keywords:

• collaborative learning
• computer mediated communication
• group-work

Collaborative Work

The concept of collaborative work is gaining rapid acceptance in almost all disciplines / organizations in the world, for example: financial institutions, educational institutions, and business organizations (Ancona, 1990; Bettenhausen, 1991; Gallucci, 1985). Business organizations are adopting group work and team based collaborative work approaches to respond rapidly and effectively to new dynamic business environments (Galbraith, 1994; Mohrman, 1995). According to Kim (1997) and Mankin (1996), groups are becoming increasingly popular due to their ability to access a larger amount and greater diversity of information than individuals, and therefore offer the potential for higher task performance. Cargan and Wright (1990) suggested that group collaborative settings should be utilized in research situations. Researchers have also concluded that the skills needed to work in collaborative setting are essential to the development of effective leaders (Glasser, Guilar, & Pinland, 1992; Freeman, 1996). The emergence of the collaborative work concept has brought a new awareness to research on leadership (Kolb, 1998).

Collaborative Group Work Activities in Higher Education

Considering higher education as the focus, there is a growing trend toward using cooperative learning strategies in many academic disciplines, including business communications, biological and physical sciences, computer programming, engineering, mathematics, music, social studies, English literature, and others (Johnson, Johnson, and smith 1998; Millis and Cottell 1998; Slavin 1990). Therefore college and university professors are increasingly relying on collaborative learning strategies to provide a more meaningful learning experience for students.

Collaborative learning “refers to a variety of instructional practices that encourage students to work together as they apply course material to answer questions, solving problems, or create a projects” (Colbeck et al, 2000). Cooperative learning is regarded as “a more structured, hence more focused, form of collaborative learning” (Millis and Cottel 1998). Collaborative learning takes many forms, two of the most common are peer tutoring and group investigation (Kroll, Masingila, and Mau 1992). In peer tutoring experienced students help others who have not yet mastered a task, while on the other side, group investigation involves students’ cooperation to solve a problem or complete a task that they have not mastered independently (Kroll, Masingila, and Mau 1992).

Mello (1993) argues that cooperative is ecologically valid, and students should expect to spend significant portions of their lives working in groups, teams and committees. Those who lack either the experience in this learning context or the skills associated with group interaction, or who do not positively value the role of team members or team leaders, will be at a major disadvantage in a society stressing and valuing cooperative work. Mello argumes that education should prepare students for professional life.

Switzer and Shriner (2000) were of the view that students are the most obvious party who benefit from collaborative group work among students, faculty members, and the community,. According to them there are four overlapping types of benefits for students. These are: 1) immediate educational benefits, 2) immediate social benefits, 3) critical thinking benefits, and 4) long-term career benefits.

1) The argument of Immediate educational benefit can be supported by a prior study of Chan and Mao (1999), in which they suggested that students actually learn more through cooperative learning strategies as opposed to traditional teaching strategies. This is especially the case when students are required to apply what they have learned (Longmore, Dunn, and Jarboe 1996). In addition to the above, different authors give different educational benefits of group work in higher education. For example Walker (1996) suggested that group projects may improve students’ memories. Cohn (1999) highlights that group work benefits students as they are afforded an educational strategy that helps them to learn about a particular topic.

2) Immediate social benefits refers to the enhanced personal benefits that arise from educational group work activities. At the most basic level, students will get to know fellow students who may have similar interests (Tanenbaum et al. 1998). These bonds may eventually extend beyond the classroom, across semesters, and possibly throughout the students’ lives. Dyrud (2001) argues that “incorporating group work in classes allows students, with the opportunity to practice their interpersonal skills in a relatively benign and supportive environment”. Just as parents argue that sending their children to daycare helps the children learn to share, encouraging students to work together enhances their abilities to cooperate with fellow students.

3) Group work benefits critical thinking; some argue in support of this that the participants of group work activities are better able to develop their critical skills through their interactions with other group members than those working on their own (Cohn 1999; Dundes 2001; Millis and Cottell 1998; Tanenbaum at al. 1999). Group work activities generates brainstorming and various view points, which can help problem-solving skills that would not arise in individual work (Walker 1996). These critical thinking skills will eventually aid students in the workplace.

4) Long-term career benefits are the forth benefit which students can gain from group work activities or assignments. Many researchers argue that with the help of group work students will achieve long-term career benefits (Colbeck et al. 2000; Kendall 1999; Maranto and Gresham 1998). According to Welch (2000), these group work activities will help to prepare students for the workplace where employees must work with others in virtually every aspect of their job. Welch (2000) also point out that students “learn about working as a team, resolving conflict, developing a division of labor, and improving their communication ability”. Kolb (1998) wrote in a similar way about the group work achievement, he wrote that it provides the “opportunity to practice the interpersonal and teamwork skills that are necessary for professionals in almost any field”. In fact nowadays, in the time of globalization, it is hard to imagine any profession, where employees do not interact with each other.

Beyond the four main benefits, Dyrud (2001) noted that students appreciated the efforts of instructors overseeing the group projects. Adams & Slater (2002) suggested that group work activities can increase the ability of students to pay attention in the class. Similarly, Larry Michaelsen, who has been credited as originating the idea of “team-based learning” points out that after trying these strategies he “ was having fun” (Michaelsen et al. 2002:viii). Indeed, if effectively administered, faculty can find group work to be quite enjoyable.

The community also benefits from students who successfully complete group assignments or group projects. Advocates of group work activities argue that a better trained workplace resulting from group work would benefit employers and community (Dyrud, 2001). This means that group work will generate better workers, who can interact with consumers in a nice way to satisfy all interested parties.

In addition to all the benefits outlined above, using group work activity strategies have been justified for other reasons in higher education as well, including: increasing student motivation (Nichols and Miller, 1994); development of individual responsibility (Oldfield and MacAlpine, 1995); co-constructing knowledge as a result of member interactions that produce new viewpoints (Vygotsky, 1978); improving democratic skills and citizenship education (Ferting 1995); and improving skills for communication, organization, presentation, leadership, and so on (Butcher, Stefani, and Tario, 1995).

Problems to Collaborative Group work

As discussed earlier collaborative work has so much potential, so why is it that college or university professors do not more regularly utilize group work activities? The answer lies in the many obstacles that stop professors from integrating these strategies into their course work. Some faculty members are concerned about time, and group work activities require more time and attention from the instructor, in addition to this some instructors are not trained enough to create, direct and implement group work activities into their courses (Colbeck et al. 2000; Michaelsen et al. 2000). So, a number of practical matters make it easier for faculty to rely on traditional lecture strategies.

Another problem faced by faculty members is the grading scheme how to assess the individual and over all group performance. The importance of grading matters significantly in team learning projects (Michaelsen et al. 2002; Millis and Cottell, 1998). Michaelsen et al. (2002) recommended that students be involved in developing their grading systems. In addition to the grading, other questions arise such as, How should the groups be established? Who picks the groups? When faced with these questions, it is sometimes simpler for professors to avoid using group projects. (Millis and Cottell 1998; Michaeslsen et al, 2002).

Some times students also present a number of issues to faculty in using group work. Better students may prefer to work on their own when faced with the option of working with students who do not contribute equally to the group. This failing to contribute to group work is known as “free riding” or “social loafing” among social psychologist (Maranto and Gresham, 1998). Complaints about free riders are among the most common criticisms that students have concerning group work (McKinney and Graham-Buxton 1993). Another important factor influencing collaborative group work activities, is the issue of gender when dealing with mix gender groups.

Gender Issues in Educational Collaborative Work

In collaborative work gender stereotypes or inequality exist in many societies at large and also in higher education. These stereotypes portray males as dominant and females as subordinates (Tracy, 1987; Streitmatter, 1985). Due to this many female students prefer not to work in group activities in male dominant societies, where they have to work in male dominancy. In the past this stereotype might account for the finding that females have traditionally chosen predominantly humanistic fields, while in the main, males have chosen science and technology (Yogev & Ayalon, 1991; Clarricoates, 1978). Earlier in 1970s, various studies reported on teachers’ interactions with students: males were found to get more attention than females due to their dominancy (Brophy, 1985; Sadker, Sadker, & Klein, 1991). One of the reasons for this was that men were more likely to contribute to topical discussions during educational activities than women were, due to their empowerment (Sierpe 2001).

Gender can cause empowerment disorder during collaborative work activities. So to avail the benefits of collaboration, one should see the obstacles to the collaborative work, and find possible solutions to these issues. The gender issue is the main obstacle, and the root cause of the empowerment problem in collaborative activities.

Experiences in team building within educational institutions suggest that empowerment techniques play a crucial role in group development and maintenance (Neilsen, 1986). Resolution is required to resolve the empowerment problem of female students, in order to get maximum benefits from group work activities. The equalizing perspective makes it possible for women to feel more powerful and act as such. However, the question raised before moving forward is: what is meant by power and how do we measure empowerment?

Empowerment

Empowerment is a term which has enjoyed an almost meteoric rise in popularity especially during last two decades, and normally this term is voiced in political circles for “empowering” the poor and disenfranchised people of any country [Dennis 1995]. Empowerment has many meanings and uses. For example in an organization Dennis defines empowerment as “The process of achieving continuous improvement in an organization’s performance by developing and extending the competent influence of individuals and teams over the areas and functions which affect their performance and that of the total organization”. Ozer & Bandura (1990: 472) described the concept of empowerment as “people’s belief in their capabilities to mobilize the motivation, cognitive resources, and courses of action needed to exercise control over giving events”. Okeke’s (1995) expression of empowerment is “to empower means to give power to, to give authority to, to enable a person or a group of persons gain power”. Batliwa (1995) in her detailed definition of the term empowerment stated that;

“Empowerment is the process and the result of the process whereby the powerless or less powerful members of the society gain greater access and control over material and knowledge, resources, challenges and ideologies of discrimination, subordination and transforms the institutions, and structures through which unequal access and control over resources is sustained and perpetuated”.

Stromquist’s (1993) categorization invites multidimensional analysis of female empowerment. This categorization includes: Cognitive empowerment, Affect empowerment, Economical empowerment, and Political empowerment.

1) Cognitive empowerment refers to knowledge, and understanding of the condition, topic, and situation.

2) Affect empowerment relates to positive or negative feelings. These feelings can be a cause of women’s action, influence, motivation, attitude, and anxiety.

3) Economic empowerment of women is the ability to earn and control economic resources. Independence in controlling economic resources opens more options for addressing one’s interest and often serves to improve one’s status in social settings.

4) Political empowerment of women involves the ability to analyze one’s world and to organize and mobilize for social change.

Stromquist’s famous four dimensions become the base of many later studies such as: Grameen Bank and the Categories Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) who based their work of categorization on Stromquist’s dimensions, and in the studies synthesized by Moulton (1997) who used these four dimensions as the base of modification.

Women Empowerment in Educational collaborative work

In terms of educational contexts, two of Stromquist’s dimensions could be applied: Affect empowerment and Cognitive empowerment. The first one stems from humanistic approaches to learning, whereby the learner is seen as a whole person who is involved in the learning process which becomes significant only if it takes place ‘when the subject matter is perceived to be of personal relevance to the learner …when there is a perceived threat to the learner’s self image, resistance to learning is likely to occur’ (Williams and Burden, 2000). For its part, cognitive empowerment goes back to cognitive approaches to learning whereby the learners are actively engaged in making meaning out of their learning. In other words, they become aware of what is happening to them as change. The combination of these two aspects leads us to an interactive view of learning which ‘provides a view of learning as arising from interactions with others’ (Williams and Burden, 2000).

A proper role of female student in a mix gender educational group work activities will lead her to take more appropriate decisions in her social and practical life situations. Main roles or learning outcomes of group based learning activities are to generate positive feeling, knowing, generating ideas through discussion, brain storming, and handling social and practical life problems among students. Now the point is how these roles/outcomes are leading towards women empowerment. The answer is that positive feelings and actions without fear lead towards empowerment of women in group work activities, e.g. when one is feeling well in any situation, he or she will be comfortable and this will lead to empowerment though feeling and fearless actions.

Another dimension of empowerment is cognition in group work, Speer and Peterson’s [2000] empowerment scale is the first to include cognitive empowerment in the measurement of individual empowerment. According to them this cognitive power can be developed through relationship, further this relationship will lead to know and understand any situation/topic/lecture/person. For example when one female student will understand the assignment, she will be confident and this awareness will empower her. Lastly, mix gender educational communication is also building confidence in women to handle their social or practical life situations effectively; this can be considered as another approach towards female empowerment in practical life.

IT as Solution of Empowerment Problem in Collaborative work

Preceded by the UN Conference on Environment (1992), the UN Conference on Human Rights(1993), the UN Conference on Population and Development (1994), and the UN Conference on Social Development(1995), the Fourth World Conference on Women(1995) - in its Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action-drew attention to the urgent need for empowering women through enhancing their skills, knowledge and access to IT, thus allowing them to take advantage of the impact of the growing global communications network on public policies, private attitudes and behaviour

O’Gara and Taggart (2004) shared their experiences and initial findings from a study on women’s access to technology and participation in technology training in developing countries. According to them the idea of empowering women through IT use has also received backing on the part of many international organizations, in the sense that women are seen to be insufficiently represented in technology which remains largely a male’s domain. Obstacles towards their access to IT include psychological factors such as technophobia, lack of information, and lack of confidence as well as socio-economic factors such as illiteracy, education, language, cost and the perceived social role of women.

Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) was suggested as a proper tool of information technology (IT) for empowering female students in the collaborative work activities.

Computer Mediated Communication (CMC)

Research has suggested that FTF interaction in the educational context does not solve the problem of discrimination against women, so, a need emerges to think of an alternative that would respect the general scope of mixed group interaction (in terms of its multisided but interactive effect) but would favour women’s involvement in sharing and communicating information with their male fellows. This can be fulfilled through the use of Computer mediated Communication (CMC).

The term computer mediated communication generally describes the communication between users with the help of networks like the Internet. Many researchers agree that CMC was first developed in 1970 by Murray Turoff (Harasim, 1990). The exact definition of CMC varies according to authors, for example Henri narrows down the scope of CMC to group work. According to him CMC is a device which provides a framework for group collaboration from a distance and which, in pedagogy, can enhance collaborative learning (Henri, 1996). Henri’s definition is used as the basis base to select CMC for the current research project, as according to him it provides a useful framework of group work activities in the educational field. Salmon (2000) explored the scope of CMC in the area of computer-mediated conferencing. As CMC is an attractive and powerful media of learning, it has an effect on the educational sector also.

CMC in Higher Education

CMC is an effective electronic means of connecting learners without time and location constraints using computers (Machtmes & Asher, 2000). CMC, its technology, its contents, and usage patterns are still in the process of rapid change, due to new developments, research and assumptions. But the use of CMC, such as the internet as a teaching-learning tool is increasing dramatically in higher education (Qing Li, 2002). This increase in the use of CMC is not simply due to its pervasiveness. It is also due to CMC’s unique communication qualities. CMC offers a radical shift from our traditional views of the communication process. The mediated context dramatically alters construction of verbal codes and feedback patterns, and the development of intimacy (Walther & Tidwell, 1996).

Advantages and Disadvantages of CMC in Higher Education

The advantages of using CMC in higher education are nicely summarized by Kaye (1992). According to him CMC in higher education can produce benefits in terms of:

• The convenience of an asynchronous communication mode, which liberates users from both time and space constraints.

• Its value as a medium of written communication, within a system in which students are graded essentially on the quality of their written work.

• The enhanced levels of interactivity between and amongst students, tutors, course developers, and other members of a widely dispersed learning community.

• The reduction of isolation felt by many distance learners, and the potential of CMC for collaborative learning (Kaye, 1992).

In spite of these disadvantages the growth of the use of this technology is positive. Day by day researches are eliminating negative aspects of this mode of communication (Murphy & Camp, 1998).

CMC and Female Empowerment in Collaborative Work

A few studies concluded that females feel more comfortable when communicating with others through the mode of computers. For example Hiltz and Johnson (1990) found that females viewed CMC more favorably than males. This may be due to the female opportunity to “have their say” without being shut out of active roles by dominant males in a group decision. In a case study with an intra-organizational mail system, females perceived email to be easier to use, more efficient, and more effective than males (Allen, 1995).

In a face to face problem solving discussion of a gender-mixed group, the males gave five times as many first suggestions for a solution. When the same group discussed problems in a computer mediated medium, females were the first to suggest a solution as often as the males (McGuire, Kiesler, & Siegel, 1987).

Current research

The Omani society as part of the Arab society in general, lies under a patriarchal system which occasionally fails to overcome problems of collaborative work in relation to female / male interactions in educational contexts. This is due to cultural barriers that exist in the society that are frequently transferred to the inside of the classroom. Higher education stands today as a very good opportunity for empowering students, especially when we think about the benefits drawn from use of new IT techniques in the collaborative activities.. How can IT empower women in collaborative work? To answer this question, this paper targets the Omani female population within the context of higher education as subjects and CMC as a tool of measurement. The author seeks to shed light on some aspects in relation to Affect and Cognition in FTF versus CMC situations using a sample made of female students as informants from Omani University of Dhofar in the south of the country.

Hypotheses

On the basis of the background data provided, we hypothesize that:

- The use of CMC empowers the Omani higher education female students affectively.

- The use of CMC empowers the Omani higher education female students cognitively.

Method

Subjects

The target population was that of Omani higher education female students at the University of Dhofar in the South of Oman. The sample was made of 36 randomly chosen female students (students who had already completed their BA and were taking a one year diploma at this University). The informants’ age varied between 21 and 25. They had specialized in Business Administration (41.66%), Computer Sciences (33.33%), English Language(13.89%), Statistics(5.56%) and Arabic Language(5.56%).

Means of Research

For practical reasons, the research used a questionnaire. The questionnaire was made of six sections: General Information, Interaction in FTF Conversations, Familiarity with CMC Tools, Affective Empowerment, Cognitive Empowerment, and Further Suggestions. It targeted mainly the affect and the cognition of the respondents and borrowed some elements in relation to psychic measurement from Gardner’s The Attitude and Motivation Test Battery (1985).

Results

Interaction in FTF Conversations

All the informants (100%) found it difficult to interact with their peers in a mixed group situation because:

• they feared they would be misunderstood by others (100%),

• they were afraid that the others would laugh at them (94.44%),

• they felt shy in front of others(88.88%),

• they feel ignored by others (77.77%).

Familiarity with CMC Tools

The majority of the respondents (80.56%) had been using CMC for at least three years, 13.88% had been using it for five years and only 5.56% had been using it for two years. 55.55% of respondents gained access to CMC from home while 33.33% gained access from the university and 11.11% from internet shops. All of them (100%) used it both asynchronously and synchronously.

Affective Empowerment

In terms of affective empowerment, the majority of the females of the sample (88.89%) felt better when they used CMC rather than FTF group work. They gave the following reasons:

• I feel more comfortable.

• I feel that nothing is serious. So, I do not feel shy and I express my opinions.

• It gives you the opportunity of knowing people from abroad.

• In FTF, I cannot express myself.

• The others do not know me, so, I can say what I want

94.44% asserted they did not use their real identity while communicating via CMC. Out of this ratio, 82.36% affirmed using a gender free pseudonym, 16.66% a female pseudonym and 5.56% a male pseudonym. All of the respondents felt that hiding behind a pseudonym was a good idea. The following reasons were given:

• So that the others will not know me.

• If I get known, I will have a bad reputation.

• I can be stronger.

• I can express myself without risking my reputation.

• We do not know with whom we are dealing.

• One word: trouble.

• To avoid problems.

• I can say what I want freely.

The action of using CMC was described as enjoyable (100%), helpful (100%), satisfactory (88.89%) and good (100%). The online interlocutors were described by 88.89% of the participants as cheerless, insincere, unreliable and trustless.

Cognitive Empowerment

In terms of cognitive empowerment, all the female respondents (100%) thought that using CMC was better than using FTF group work. One respondent stated that CMC was good “because I express myself”. 88.89% of the respondents felt they could express their ideas freely while using CMC, and could challenge the others in terms of imposing their own opinions. 100% of them thought that they understood their interlocutors, while only 50% thought that the latter made the effort of understanding them.

CMC was described by all the respondents (100%) as important, simple, effortless, and intellectually interesting necessary while the online interlocutors are thought to be intelligent, efficient, competent, and cultivated.

To the question: would you encourage women to learn using CMC? 88.89% said ‘yes’ and gave the following reasons:

• Sometimes, we need CMC to chat with the family and to spend time.

• It enables us to know the others.

• Anything women learn to communicate with is good for them.

• We can express ourselves freely.

• It is better than CMC.

• Although many people waste their time on internet, some women can use CMC in a good way.

• It is an easy and cheap way to connect with others.

• To make women see what is happening in the world and how other people think.

Discussion

The project team recognizes that research projects should be objective. Nevertheless the project team had expected the respondents to be introverted and less open then they were. In fact the opposite was the case. Surprisingly, as the results indicate that the respondents do not reveal their real nature in certain situations. Regardless of the geographical situation, Omani females present the same astonishing level of awareness.

The first striking element in the answers is the 100% ratio obtained with many questions. While designing the questionnaire, the main investigator tried to ensure that the questions were not leading in nature. Therefore the project leader assumes the results are the outcomes of the respondents’ free will. To the question “Do you find it difficult to interact with your peers in a mixed group situation?”, the answer came 100% “Yes”; and the reasons came in the following order: fear of being misunderstood, fear of being laughed at, feelings of shyness and feelings of being ignored. All these express the inhibition the respondents are experiencing in front of others. The fear of being misunderstood proves that the person we face is a stranger to us or that we have to behave in a very conventional formal way, not only because of that person but also because of the others who may witness our interaction. The fear of being laughed at can be translated into “what I say is not up to the required standard of the interaction itself”. Feelings of shyness and being ignored may express the idea “the persons I am interacting with are aggressing me or I feel insecure in their presence”. With this type of answers and ratios, the FTF interaction is burdened with it negative features at both linguistic and paralinguistic levels, which evidently shows the females’ affective and cognitive powerlessness. It must be noted that the options presented to the informants have been gathered through informal discussions with other students.

The respondents are familiar with CMC and have been using it for at least two years, accessing it from home, internet shops, and universities. All of them use it synchronously and asynchronously. These data sustain them as reliable sources of judgment.

In terms of affective empowerment, the majority of the respondents expressed positive feelings towards using CMC as compared to using FTF interactions. The justifications provided reflect a high degree of positive attitudes. The majority of them hide behind a false identity while using CMC; for 82.36% it is gender free, for 11.76% it is female and for 5.88% it is male. All of them agreed that hiding behind a pseudonym was a good idea. This means that the acorporal aspect of virtual communication is appreciated and reinforced. Not being known by their interlocutors provides these respondents with a psychological security that fights effectively their social anxiety. When asked to pick up from a set of adjectives to qualify using CMC, all of them chose positive adjectives. However, to qualify their online interlocutors, all of them chose negative adjectives. One explanation of this could be that these persons perceive themselves as being in the state of opposition and challenge and that CMC constitutes a weapon in their hands. Thus and affectively speaking CMC empowers female students.

In terms of cognitive empowerment, all of the respondents think that using CMC is better than using FTF communication, as they can express freely their ideas using CMC, challenge their interlocutors, and understand them. However, only 50% of them think that their interlocutors make the effort of understanding them. CMC is cognitively positively qualified and so are the online interlocutors. This is not an astonishing finding; giving ones opponent high cognitive qualities is granting oneself at the same time these same qualities. It proves that the challenge has not been an easy one. In addition, the majority of the respondents are aware of the importance of encouraging women to learn using CMC. On the basis of these assertions, it can be argued that CMC provides the female students with cognitive empowerment.

Conclusion

At the heart of this small-scale study, lay a concern for an issue that has become internationally recognized as a must: women’s empowerment. Whatever conditions and resources may be provided for women, they may prove fruitless if not implemented within a safe environment. The latter can exist only through affective and cognitive positive situations. This study departed from the assumption that the educational context is a good opportunity for women to challenge their present position since knowledge and knowledge acquisition are always outlets towards change. We have explored the theoretical background of what constitutes gender issues, namely prejudice against women taking as a case in point FTF communication situations. The project illustrates that CMC can be used as a tool of change, exploring the latter in terms of empowerment in collaborative work. The project adopted the hypotheses that empowerment is of affective and cognitive nature and that it can occur through using IT tools such as CMC. To test the hypotheses, the project targeted the Omani higher education female students as a population. The results obtained confirmed my hypotheses. These results are meant to be a contribution to the idea that states that women’s personality can grow -thanks to these types of tools-stronger; a fact which makes the former more self confident and increases self esteem: two key notions in modern learning theories as well inhuman rights.