Breaking Out of Conceptual/Methodological Traps: A Case Study from Research on the Computer Mediated Classroom

This paper describes several lessons learned in the process of getting Computer Conferencing to work for Army Training. One methodological lesson was to better assess the maturity of the phenomenon to be studied and utilize formative evaluation rather than experimentation for immature areas of study. Another lesson was to not over-borrow from prevailing conceptual frameworks as they may be inappropriate for a new context. Some specifics, in case study form, are given to illustrate these lessons learned.