Asynchronous discussions are discussions that students can take part in at any time

synchronous discussions require that the participants of the discussion all meet at the same time to talk about the issue at hand (Benson, 2003).

When instructors decide to use synchronous discussions, they are choosing an environment that is more similar to face-to-face discussions because the students and instructors are meeting at the same time.

In synchronous environments, students are able to work collaboratively and receive instant feedback. When an instructor uses a type of communication strategy that is more similar to face-to-face discussions, some people may be more inclined to open up to the possibility of having online discussions.

asynchronous discussions give the students more time to think about the topic being studied and to research more about it if they need to do so.

They can respond to posts made on the forum after they have had time to think about the topic and read what others have already contributed to the discussion

Students are able to log into their classes to view the questions and remarks made by other students and the instructor before making their own contribution.

asynchronous discussions is the fact that the discussions give the students more information and have a more meaningful analysis (Meyer, 2007).

It is easy for students to turn to outside resources to get more information about the topic being discussed and to be able to support their argument with scholarly work.

Research has found that students did the extra research before making a comment because they did not want to sound unintelligent in front of their colleagues, and they felt that they did not have enough background knowledge in the subject matter (Du, Zhang, Olinzock, & Adams, 2008).

All of these things lead to a development of critical thinking on discussion topics (Black, 2005).

Online discussions provide students with an equal opportunity in participation and a chance for all voices to be heard (Vonderwall, Liang, & Alderman, 2007).

In traditional face-to-face classes, when an instructor asks the class about something, not everyone has an opportunity to give a response (Benson, 2003).

In online discussions, all students can give an answer, even if it is merely agreeing with one of their colleague’s opinions. Hrastinski (2008) reports that when students agree with their colleagues, they form social ties, and these are important for collaborative learning. There are some students who are very shy and do not like to speak in front of their peers and by communicating through online discussions, they are able to give themselves a voice.

Both forms of discussion can be easily archived and students can return to the dialogues to re-examine issues or to remind themselves of the discussion that took place

Regardless of which type of discussion is being used in distance education courses, online discussions allow for the students to “build a sense of community” (Appana, 2008, p.10) Although students may be living in different parts of the world and may never meet in person, the discussions that they have online permits them to form social ties as if they were in a traditional classroom.

At the end of a course, a student may look at the posts that he/she had made at the beginning of the semester and see if their thoughts are still the same or whether the course has encouraged him/her to look at the subject from a different point of view.

For example, in one study, two different classes were examined to see how much student interaction there was in online discussions. The first class observed was Technology, Teaching and Learning across the Curriculum and the second course examined in the study was Learning Mathematics with Technology.

In both classes, students interacted with each other, and it was found that the students themselves have the final say in what happens in the discussions.

What they bring to the table, what they want to accomplish, how they respond to each other, and how they time their responses all contribute to the nature and substance of the discussion (McCrory, et al., 2008, p.177).

The student’s participation and interaction in the online discussions will determine whether the discussion will flourish. The students have a big responsibility in making sure that a discussion is successful.

Another concern facing online discussions is the fact that certain non-verbal cues that students would normally receive in face-to-face classes is missing. For example, one cannot hear the tone of voice used in communication in online environments and there is no way to see facial expressions or hand gestures.

In some instances, students are aware that the reader does not have any body language to refer to while reading the comment and/or question. Some student report being very careful in choosing their words so that they are not misunderstood and so that no one in the class is offended (Du, et al., 2008).

Another example of being cautious in discussions is choosing to write using capital letters. If a student uses all capitals, it can be interpreted as yelling, and this may cause problems if he/she is responding to another student or instructor.

“1. Asking for information

2. Asking for clarification

3. Sharing information” (Stapa, 2007, p.141).

In distance education classes where the instructor is separated from the student either by time and/or space, it is essential for the instructor is able to make sure that the students have a clear understanding of the material, and if they do not, the instructor has the opportunity to step in and guide the students towards the correct path (Vonderwall, et al., 2007).

Equally important is to meet the students’ need in asking for additional help and/or clarification (Vonderwall et al., 2007). This is something that should be available to all students, regardless of which type of discussion is being held and how it is being held.