Online discussions occur as either "synchronous communication" or "asynchronous
communication." Synchronous communication involves interactions among the
instructor and students in real time, which requires prearranged "meeting" times,
much like the face-to-face discussions that take place in a traditional classroom.
Asynchronous communication occurs over a period of time, allowing students
to participate from any place at any time. Examples of asynchronous communication
include, email and discussion boards (hierarchically threaded messages), while synchronous
communication can take the form of chat rooms, shared digital workspaces (whiteboards),
and video conferencing.
The focus of this training resource is asynchronous communication because it affords
the flexibility and structure to foster critical thinking skills by allowing students
time to research, analyze, reflect, and write well thought out questions and replies.
Asynchronous communication also offers students more time for personal contact and
a lasting record of entire conversations. This can result in deeper and more insightful
discussions. Although email provides the rudimentary means to conduct asynchronous
communication, it lacks the rich hierarchical structure and topical organization
found in a discussion board.
Therefore, this training resource provides the following sections to explain how
to use discussion boards to encourage logical, thoughtful, and interactive online
conversations:
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