Using a Group Decision Support System for School-Based Decision Making

Introduction Computers have been used in schools for many years to improve various aspects of education. Recently, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) in the form of electronic mail and bulletin boards has been used to improve education and to increase sharing of information among parents, teachers, and students (Bajard, 1989; Collis, 1992; Galvin, 1987; Rogers, et al., 1987). In addition, schools have begun using Group Decision Support Systems (GDSSs), a specific type of CMC, to improve education and communication (Aiken, 1992; Klemm & Snell, 1994). A GDSS is a computer-based system implemented on a local area network with software for the support of meetings and other group work (Dennis, et al., 1988). These systems have been proven in many studies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of meetings which require the exchange of information among participants by (Ellis, et al., 1991; Martz, et al., 1992; Nunamaker, et al., 1991): 1. Increasing participation: Group Decision Support Systems typically allow participants to exchange comments or vote anonymously. As a result, group members often participate more because they are not as fearful of what others may think of their comments. Similarly, participants are not as subject to group think or conformance pressure, the reluctance to criticize the comments of others due to politeness or fear of reprisals. Participation also is increased because each group member has more time to contribute ideas. In verbal meetings, people must take turns to speak and may have only a few minutes in which to contribute; in a GDSS, all participants may communicate in parallel by simultaneously writing or reading comments. 2. Automatically recording comments and votes: A GDSS records onto a computer disk all comments generated during the meeting, and consequently, the group participants may not need to take notes. In a verbal meeting, group members have to remember comments (rather than thinking of new ones) until they have a chance to speak. Participants may forget what has been said before, or they may not understand what was said. 3. Imposing more structure: A GDSS also provides a certain amount of structure to the meeting. With this structure in place, it is far more difficult to deviate from the problem-solving cycle and make incomplete or premature decisions. The group has a more concentrated discussion, and they focus on the issues throughout the meeting. 4. Providing other benefits: As a result of more participation, record keeping, and structure, many groups have been able to accomplish more in about half the time necessary for traditional, non-automated meetings. Also, these factors have contributed to higher group satisfaction with the meeting process. Finally, the new technology has enabled larger groups to meet, resulting in more information, knowledge, and skills that are brought to bear to the task at hand. Group Decision Support Systems have been used for many years for the support of business meetings (Kraemer & King, 1988), but they have only recently been used for the support of education. These systems can be used directly in the classroom (for example, in seminar classes), or they can be used in administrative meetings. 1. Use in a Seminar: Perhaps the most obvious application of GDSSs for education is in a seminar (Aiken, 1992). Currently, GDSSs are used for exchanging ideas in a group meeting; the same situation exists in a classroom seminar. Students may not have to take notes when a GDSS is present since all comments are recorded onto a computer disk by the system. With the greater number of ideas being exchanged with the use of a GDSS, it would be impossible to manually record everything. Using a GDSS, students will no longer have to raise their hands to speak, interrupt each other in order to talk, or forego making a comment because somebody else is talking. 2. Use for Administrative Support: A few educational administration meetings have been conducted using the technology. …