ABSTRACT
Essential questions provide the skeleton for the course content. They present the main issues each course module needs to address and also allow for connections between the conceptual ideas of the course. Face-to-face courses use class discussions to help students gain a deeper understanding of the subtleties and competing perspectives involved in complex issues. Online courses mimic this format by using electronic discussion forums that allow for a proper exchange of opinions and arguments, and they compensate for a lack in spontaneity with reflection and careful wording. An additional benefit of the online medium is that virtually all students get to participate in the discussion, while face-to-face discussions are often dominated by a small group of outspoken students. The virtual space in which these discussions happen is aptly described by Weigel's term “conference center.” It has its own electronic tools (the electronic discussion board) and its own rules of organized group discourse.
