LIVE AUTHORITY IN THE CLASSROOM IN VIDEO CONFERENCE-BASED SYNCHRONOUS DISTANCE EDUCATION: The Teaching Assistant

The aim of this study was to define the role of the assistant in a classroom
environment where students are taught using video conference-based synchronous
distance education. Qualitative research approach was adopted and, among
purposeful sampling methods, criterion sampling method was preferred in the scope
of the study. The study was carried out during the spring semester of the 2008-
2009 academic years. A teaching assistant and a total of 9 sophomore or senior
students from the Department of City and Regional Development, Faculty of
Architecture, Karadeniz Technical University, participated as subjects.
The students included in the study sampling were taking lessons from the Middle
East Technical University on the basis of synchronous distance education. Among
the qualitative research methods, case study method was used and the study data
were obtained from the semi-structured interview and observation results. Study
data were analyzed with descriptive analysis methods. Data obtained at the end of
the study were found to support the suggestion that there should be an authority in
the video conference-based synchronous distance education. Findings obtained
during the interviews made with the students revealed that some of the teacher’s
classroom management related responsibilities are transferred to the assistant
present in the classroom during the synchronous distance education. It was
concluded at the end of the interviews that a teaching assistant’s presence should
be obligatory in the undergraduate synchronous distance classroom environment.
However, it was also concluded that there may not be any need for an authority in
the classroom environment at the postgraduate education level due to the profile
and expectations of the student, which differ from those of students at lower
educational levels.