Do Media Richness and Visual Anonymity Influence Learning? A Comparative Study Using SkypeTM

This study examines the differences between audio conferencing and traditional face-to-face learning. We investigated whether the characteristics of audio conferencing – media richness (Media Richness Theory, Daft & Lengel, 1984), media naturalness (Media Naturalness Hypothesis, Kock, 2005) and visual anonymity-determine students' learning efficacy, perception, satisfaction, participation, and willingness to take risks. 42 undergraduates were randomly allocated to face-to-face and to audio conferencing groups, receiving a 20-minutes lesson in groups of three. As we hypothesized, there was no significant difference between students' achievement and perception of learning. Distance learning through audio conferencing was as effective as face-to-face learning. Significant differences, in favor of face-to-face communication, were found in the emotional-experiential aspects of learning: amount of students' attention and interest, learning satisfaction, and enjoyment from the interaction with tutor or peers. The findings indicated that visual anonymity decreased the fear of criticism which in turn, increased the amount of participation and risk-taking. These findings are explained in terms of differences in media naturalness and of the effect of visual anonymity. The results suggest a distinction between the cognitive and emotional-experiential aspects of perceived learning.