Asynchronous communication tools li

Asynchronous communication tools like listservs and newsgroups provide opportunities for students in online classrooms to engage in high-level discussions by framing and presenting ideas, formulating challenging questions for peers, and responding to those questions to clarify misconceptions that arise. Thus, students learn to develop reasoned responses that includeexplanation and justification. Students also learn to devise and respond to questions that require answers based on integration or synthesis of disparate chunks of knowledge, logical connections, and causal or goal-oriented reasoning. Caution is warranted, however, because these forms of communication lack important features that are present in face-to-face interactions. (See Article Seven in this volume for more on personalizing electronic communication.) Students may need explicit instruction to participate effectively in group-based, online communication forums. Developing supportive online communities can be promoted by establishingguidelines for Internet etiquette, or “netiquette” (see McMurdo, 1995;Scheuermann & Taylor, 1997).