2/72.4.1 Introduction
Computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) has emerged as an identified research field during the last dozen years. It focuses on the role of the computer to assist people working together. Most existing computer programs, like word processors or spreadsheets, were made for single users only. The development of suitable software for small and large groups is a major focus of CSCW. CSCW, in fact, is an interdisciplinary research field which combines scientists from areas like computer science, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and organizational theory [Gre88], [Gre91]. The first workshop at MIT was in August 1984.The software produced by CSCW research groups is called ``groupware''. Some applications include electronic mail, bulletin boards, synchronous and asynchronous computer conferencing, group schedulers, group decision support systems, collaborative authoring, screen-sharing software, computer equivalents to whiteboards, video conferencing, and so on [Gre91].
Online education, which will be discussed in the next section of this thesis, overlaps with CSCW to a great extent. Thus, I will focus mainly on those aspects of CSCW which are also important for online education.