ginny wrote:
Applying Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) as a teaching tool in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is becoming teaching classroom has become a trend. CMC contains synchronous CMC, Instant Messenger (IM) and teleconference, for example; and asynchronous CMC contains like e-mail and bulletin board. Different kinds of communication tools have been adopted in second or foreign language education. While CMC has altered the environment of language learning (Ei-Tigi & Branch, 1997),the The research by Kearsley (2000) has revealed that the use of computer-aided assists programs in language learning are transforming makes the classrooms such that students are inspirationally autonomous, interactive, social, collaborative, cooperative, communicative and student-centered. Moreover Furthermore, the use of a computer provides the opportunity for students to learn with reduced face-to-face contact, thus reducing anxiety. It also assists one's provides an improvement in writing skills and allows target language to develop naturally for communicative purposes (Li, 2000).

Decisive Crucial for writing is a way of thinking that allows students to manifest their own thoughts. Traditionally, in Taiwanese English writing classes, only one-draft is required. Teachers always play an important role as instructors and evaluators. According to Huang (2003), the requirement of quality writing requires was that students knew how to employ work guided and effective writing methods processes with guidance when they composed their first drafts.

Following the change in teaching and learning styles, Students become more independent in their writing methods following the change in teaching and learning styles process. Lehr (1995) mentioned that revision becomes the core of the writing methods process and it is the final part in the writing process. Revision is “a process of making changes throughout the writing of a draft; changes that work to make the draft congruent with a writer’s changing intentions” (Lehr, 1995, p2). Students would be stimulated with new ideas and ways of thinking. Teachers would help students to do the evaluation.

Peer-evaluation becomes more and more popular because as it encourages student-to-student interactions via discussions. Teacher-to-student interactions and discussions are not used as frequently in writing classes these days today. Traditionally, peer-evaluation requires was that teachers to give students a checklist which contains questions to check on grammar or sentence structures. Then, the Students would then read their peers’ writings and follow the questions through for the evaluation. Finally, students would follow up with individual revisions.

With the development of technology such as the Internet technology lifts the procedure and application of peer-evaluation, traditionally confined to is not limited in the classroom. In Huang’s (2003) study, writing classes conducted via networked teaching according to the researcher’s design of an online writing homepage. Students composed their writings, browsed the guided information and , browsed the sample writing; and conduct did online peer-evaluation. Online peer-evaluation, which enables students to help each other improve their writing (Mangelsdorf & Schlumberger, 1992), also promotes students’ self-confidence (Hafemik, 1983), and enhances students’ ability to reconceptualize their ideas after considering the feedback from their peers (Cazden, 1988). This is commonly used in EFL composition classes.



Using different communication models in peer-evaluation, such as one-to-one and many-to-many enhances students’ learning ability and motivation (Chen, 2004; Huang, 2003; Tso, 2001). In order to reduce peer’s peer-pressure, students apply e-mail and IM as to be the communication tools when conducting doing discussions at their leisure after school (Tsai, 2004; Lu, 2003). This study is to investigate the roles of CMC and the communication model on EFL students’ online peer-evaluation at two universities in Taiwan. Probing the influences of communication tools and models in peer-evaluation is to know which communication tools and models are alternatives for better for evaluation. The aim of network-based learning is to apply appropriate communication models and communication tools for students to and thus let learners have better learning efficiency.