asynchronousNot 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 posts in discussion forums (including discussion boards and threaded discussions) are forms of asynchronous communication.
blogA website that functions as an online journal or diary. One or more writers can post individual messages to the site and can comment on others’ posts, but writers cannot edit other users’ posts.
chatA form of written conversation in which participants type their comments in a small window and post it to another person or a group. Chat is synchronous—to participate, everyone needs to be online at the same time.
course platformSoftware (such as Blackboard or 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).
discussion boardA software application that manages a written conversation for a class group. A discussion board allows participants to post a question and various individuals to reply. The discussion board keeps the conversation organized by threads, or subtopics. It maintains an organized record of everyone’s contributions.
downloadTo save a document (such as a handout) from your course website to your computer. Note that opening a document online doesn’t automatically download it to your computer; if you need repeated access to the file, you might want to download it or save it to your computer after opening it online. 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 very smart).
synchronousOccurring 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. Instant messaging is a form of synchronous communication.
threadA set of related posts that form an online conversation. When someone asks a new question or begins a discussion of a new topic, that person begins a new thread. Threads keep related posts organized as part of a discussion board.
tutorialA step-by-step lesson, usually for an online product or process. A tutorial allows for independent, self-paced learning.
uploadTo save a document (such as an essay) from your own computer to the course website. You may need to upload your assignments to the course website so that your instructor or peers (or both) can read them.
wikiA collaborative website 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.