Adapting to Change

In this chapter, we explore the history of Asynchronous Online Discussions in Education, as paralleled by the enabling technology and limitations from the 1970s through the 2020s. Changes over these decades include the power and utility of commercially available computing technology; the speed, accessibility and ubiquity of networked communication; changes in visual media and access characteristics as altered by common screen resolutions and sizes on differing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, and “smart” cell phones; common operating systems, with their unique positive and negative aspects; the rise of standardized internet communications software such as web browsers, discussion boards, Learning Management Systems (LMSs), and other enabling technologies.The 1970s and 1980s placed educators on the cutting edge of technology, utilizing slow communications methods that required either a physical campus presence or communication over early phone-line-based technology. Educators were often required to take on the role of technology expert, in addition to the curriculum design and instructor modalities. Over the 1980s, with the growth of dial-up bulletin board systems (BBSs) and eventually dial-up services such as America Online (AOL), communication speeds improved but student access remained potentially limited. Providers rationed service by minutes, and acoustic modems monopolized phone lines, restricting the available time for off-campus students to participate online. Educators were required to confront the growing potential of democratization of communications, along with supporting students’ knowledge of technology and socializing them in “netiquette” for civil and collegial interactions. The 1990s brought this to a head as interconnectedness grew in a punctuated manner, disrupting previously closed or partially open systems. The creation of the “public” Internet in April 1993 started the dot-com era, bringing waves of innovation and dramatically increased the use of the internet for educational and business purposes. These trends accelerated through the 2010s and into the 2020s. We provide a series of fictional scenarios synthesizing the experiences of different eras of technology, enabling readers to consider the advantages and disadvantages of technology, creative decision making and adaptive strategies required by educators, and common themes that still apply in modern times. Through confronting these scenarios and considering their own potential responses, educators can learn from the past and plan to address situations such as providing remote educational opportunities to communities with limited internet and technology access, public exposure of educational environments, the enshittification of “free” software platforms or services, or the sudden closure of an educational community’s virtual home.