ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses and evaluates how online discussion forums (ODFs) were used to complement and replace face-to-face seminar time in a pre-master’s management course for international students. Based on this experience, it provides justified recommendations as to how ODFs can be used most effectively. The chapter argues that while ODFs have limitations and cannot replicate a face-to-face seminar experience, when carefully designed and moderated, they can be an effective way to enhance learning. They offer students an opportunity to process material and engage in meaningful expressions of critical argument in a way that might be preferred by those who are reluctant to participate in face-to-face seminars. For international students who are operating in a second language, the temporal space between a question being asked and their contributions being made enables them to check meaning and prepare and compose an answer or comment.
