Types of Communication Tools

Three types of venues comprise the bulk of communication tool usage in distance courses: email, discussion forums, and chats. Each type is introduced below.

Email

Email is the most common asynchronous communication tool. Even though CMS email systems may have distinctive features, messaging generally works in nearly the same manner across all systems. Using email, you can send, receive, reply, and forward messages to others who are enrolled in the same course. You can send to one person or select a group of individuals to receive the same message. Messages sent and received within the CMS are archived, or saved, within the system allowing you to access old messages when needed. In general, email messages sent from within a CMS stay within the system and are not accessible in an individual's "regular" email such as Outlook or Gmail.

Discussion Forums

Threaded discussion forums are asynchronous communications that use “posting” (sending) and replies. A primary difference between discussion forums and email is the former's ability to thread a conversation (although as technology progresses, this line, too, is becoming blurred). Threaded messages provide a visual cue of the original posting (message) and each reply, usually with replies being indented. Review this video:

Chat

Chats are generally synchronous. They work much like a telephone conference call. All of the participants are “on the line” (in the same chat room) at the same time.

Next we'll introduce terms in the area of video conferencing.