Just as the EL 102 lesson mentioned, I also do not agree with synchronous discussion. When I was in grad school, I took a Communication course and it was only online. We participated in synchronous chats through Yahoo Messenger and there were a total of 5 students in the class. There was 1 student that outperformed everyone else and brought down the morale of the class. There were also international students that could not keep up with the content. I realize this had something to do with the instructor's teaching style, but I have to say it was the worst class I ever had, and ever since, I have had a negative view about synchronous discussion. Has anyone had a positive experience with synchronous discussion?