Cognitive Apprenticeship and Writing in Distance and Online Learning

As online learning has matured, it has increasingly used Web-based technologies to support communication and interactions among participants (e.g. students, instructors, and mentors) in addition to content delivery. Many online learning experiences depend heavily on text-based interactions to support learning, practice, and assessment activities. Threaded discussions forums are particularly useful learning activities, as is the exchange of word-processed documents for formative and summative assessments. These activities are a natural result of the desire to connect people via technology while taking advantage of asynchronous communication’s convenience.