Abstract
This session will focus on the effects of computer-mediated communication (CMC) on group dynamics. As institutions of higher learning create online courses, virtual universities, and international satellite campuses, face-to-face meetings and telephone calls give way to CMC and video/Web conferencing. On the basis of five years of research at California State University, Hayward, we now have a better understanding of how virtual groups differ from face to face groups and the critical variables.