Introduction—The Place of Online Discussion in Higher Education

This introductory chapter commences with stories of the authors’ first experiences with Asynchronous Online Discussion (AOD), revisiting the roots of our interest in this teaching and learning approach. We explore what happens when discussion is effective and engaging, in contrast to when it simply does not work. We foreground the goals of this book, explaining our intent to support teaching and learning through online discussion in tertiary education. Links to open, distance, and digital learning are acknowledged, along with dialogic education. The distinctiveness of discussion in online contexts is outlined, with the unique affordances of AOD. Finally, the structure of the book is introduced to orientate the reader to the chapters ahead.