asynchronous Not occurring at the same time. When students participate in asynchronous discussions, they log on at different times to post and read comments. E-mail and messages in discussion forums (including discussion boards and threaded discussions) are forms of asynchronous communication.

blog A Web site that functions as an online journal. One or more writers can post individual messages to the site, but writers cannot edit other users’ posts.

course platform Software (such as Blackboard and Moodle) that your college uses to host course content. A course platform might also be called courseware, a course management system (CMS), a learning management system (LMS), or a virtual learning environment (VLE).

download To save an online document (such as a handout from your course Web site) to your computer. Note that opening a document online doesn’t automatically download it to your computer. For some assignments, your instructor might require that you download a form before you type on it.

post (verb) To type a comment or message online (Be sure to post any peer comments by 10 p.m. Wednesday, April 13). (noun) An online comment or message (Your post about Kara’s use of evidence was insightful).

synchronous Occurring at the same time or in real time. When students participate in synchronous discussions, they are all logged on to the course at the same time, and they can see (or hear) one another’s comments in real time.

upload To save a document (such as an essay) online, to the course Web site, for example. You may need to upload assignments to the course Web site so that your instructor or peers (or both) can read them.

wiki A collaborative Web site that can be edited by many users. Wikis are often used for group projects that require students to find and share resources or for collaborative writing assignments.