As an integral part of Dr. Mossler's courses, students are committed to make weekly online postings, not only initially commenting on class topics, but also reacting and responding to one another's postings.  This provides a forum for discussion that includes everyone and increases the quality of thinking across the board.  The technology facilitates the ever-important goal of inspiring developed, well-supported opinions.  The result is thoughtful conversation.  Beyond the range of developed thought and constructed argument that is created in writing traditional papers, Mossler finds the discussion forum emphasizes the need for taking a position and clearly conveying it.  With peers not only reading and analyzing every thought, but also responding to and challenging these thoughts, one is forced to think out an opinion fully and understand the consequences of these opinions.  Moreover, the technological forum alleviates the possibility of a handful of speakers dominating; it allows every voice to be heard. 

The most drastic results have been found in freshman seminar and developmental psychology courses.  Freshmen, who are still developing both the speaking skills and confidence necessary for effective classroom discussion, can try out ideas first amongst their peers on the discussion board.  This process focuses ideas, refining understanding of concepts.  Moreover, the layer of removal offered by the online platform reveals the sometimes troublesome offensive and defensive nature of discussion into honest group inquiry.  

The developmental psychology course reaps all of these benefits and more.  This course is taught in conjunction with a sister course at Randolph Macon Woman's College under Professor Dennis Goff.  As unbalanced preconceived notions are broken down, this arrangement proves mutually beneficial, helping honest respect for differences to grow.  Online discussion is organized with inter-institutional coordinated syllabi and selected readings, drawing from many resources, such as OVID's online database PsychINFO.  Frequent reactionary emails by both Mossler and Goff then serve to redirect and refine findings.  Instead of intervening in the discussion, both prefer to direct individual email to students, which allows them to make self analysis rather than read a professor's response and end it at that.  Students, in turn, often make over one hundred postings per week, for a total numbering over one thousand by the end of the semester. 

Online relationships, do not, of course, take the place of human interaction.  Instead, all of the aforementioned web-based benefits are accents to the classroom course.  Luckily, the web-inspired cooperation between institutions has brought together students in the two developmental psychology courses.  Alternating location between H-SC and RMWC, the combined course meets Friday afternoons, allowing the students to put faces with their counterparts. 

The end result is more learning and more efficient learning.  Technology provides just another base for our ultimate desire for deeper understanding.