Course Web Site Development: Additional Website Components: Online Discussion Tools: Asynchronous

Asynchronous discussion tools, as stated before, enable conversations that can occur at any time - all parties involved need not always be in attendance.  This specific model for communication is particularly useful if the participants have incompatible schedules, as frequently happens on a college campus.

There are two major methods of hosting an asynchronous discussion here at TCNJ.  Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Method	Description
E-mail Discussion Lists	E-mail discussion lists have proven to be a very popular means to disseminate information over the last few years.  In short, an e-mail discussion list allows you and your users to carry on a conversation using software no more complex than your existing e-mail client.
Threaded Discussion Boards (Board Request Form) (UNIX how-to) (Intrasun & Facweb how-to)	Threaded discussion boards are different from e-mail discussion lists insofar as their method of implementation.  TDBs are entirely web based, and all communication takes place on a series of web pages.  This method of communication requires that all of your participants has at least a somewhat up-to-date web browser in order to access content.