ABSTRACT
This chapter lays the foundation for the theories and research reviews that follow in this volume. It begins with a detailed definition of Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) and its components, including examples and participants’ accounts of what it means to teach and learn together online. A brief history shows the extremely fast growth rate in online courses and students, not only in the United States but around the world. Mini-case studies and scenarios illustrate some of the human stories that lie behind this growth. The end of the chapter introduces some of the controversies surrounding this new form of learning, and the issue of ALNs as a disruptive or transformative force, depending on one’s point of view; this is a theme to which we return in the volume’s final chapter.
