Use of WWW discussion boards in chemistry education

Electronic communication is becoming increasingly important in chemistry education, especially in distributing static information and in engaging students with dynamic hypermedia documents. Interactive discussion boards serve as an `after hours' communication system for students, allowing discussion of homework problems and issues among themselves or with faculty. Storing this discussion on the world wide web preserves it as a reference source spanning the entire semester, reducing repetitive questions and thereby saving time for faculty and students. Electronic communication also elicits participation from students who are uncomfortable in contributing to classroom discussions.