ABSTRACT
At the core of the concept of an asynchronous learning network is the student as an active-and socially interactive-learner. We begin this chapter with a review of some of the evidence that there is indeed a tendency for ALN courses to elicit more active participation from students than does the typical face-to-face course (at least those conducted on the “lecture” model). Then we review the profile of students who choose to take online courses. This includes quizzes and criteria that can be used to advise students into or out of ALN as a mode for learning. A look at whether any individual characteristics are related to their chances of success in online courses (obtaining good grades, high satisfaction, etc.) includes both objective characteristics such as gender, and psychological predictors such as personality type or cognitive styles. The chapter ends with a summary of some multivariate studies that use student characteristics to predict student outcomes.
