Because online instructors do not have the ability to conduct 'face to face' question/answer sessions, asking questions is conducted in several ways. First, one can ask a direct quesiton and wait for the reasponse. Second, questions can be developed as a 'poll' that participating students answer. The results are viewed by the class and further discussion can ensue from the results. Finally, the instructor can e-mail a list of discussion "questions" to students prior to the Live Chat - this way the students have time to either research the answers or have their answers ready for the discussion. This last plan really helps the 'at risk' student, who may have difficulty responding quickly or needs more time to work on the correct text to use.