In a standard text on open and distance learning, computer conferencing appears with advantages and disadvantages that rely on the capacity of the conference to 'facilitate' students and staff working together (Mason, 1994). Co-operation or collaboration are seen as unproblematic outcomes of the use of the computer conference. Hiltz noted that collaboration is both technically facilitated and becomes a moral requirement that involves a respecification of the teacher's role (Hiltz and Benbunan-Fich, 1997, p. 1). The outlook that associates collaborative learning with computer conferencing can be found throughout a wide range of literature (Mason and Kaye, 1989; Harasim, 1990; Kaye, 1992; McConnell, 1994; Harasim et al., 1995; O'Malley, 1995; Jonassen, 1996).