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In this essay, disciplinary ‘convergence’ is offered as a construct that references the blurring of disciplinary walls, academic borders and institutional divisions, a construct that can frame conversations about the role of disciplines in addressing today’s student needs in higher education. Convergence as a construct allows for a consideration of converging academic structures as well as the obligation of scholars and practitioners in higher education to address the needs of contemporary students aiming for life and work in a converging and increasingly mediated world. Ultimately, this work suggests that contemporary problems in an information society can be best addressed with broadly trained experts who can think, imagine and solve problem across traditional academic boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the online talk of students working in groups collaboratively in a hybrid university course. In particular, this study investigates how students situate themselves relationally through their use of language and how particular moments of talk contribute to the construction of community in an online classroom environment. The data suggest a strong sense of community across groups of learners, with student–student encouragement and peer acceptance emerging as the most salient themes. These findings are considered theoretically in relation to contemporary literature on accounts, facework, politeness and apologies. Practical issues and research avenues tied to classroom format and computer-mediated student culture are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]