Ground Rules for Online Discussion Der-Thanq "Victor" Chen Educational Research and Advisory Unit, University of Canterbury v.chen@erau.canterbury.ac.nz Hung, W. L. David National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore wldhung@nie.edu.sg Abstract: Traditionally, instructors use tools such as e-mail and discussion forum for online discussions. Although these tools facilitate discussion to some useful extent, outcomes of those discussions remain largely unpredictable. One common problem is that ground rules (e.g., how often to post contributions, how contributions are assessed, etc.) for utilising these online discussions have not been well established at the commencement of discussion. Benefits for identifying appropriate rules upfront are evident. However, to date there has been little research on how various rules impact on learning. This paper discusses the importance of ground rules for online discussion and argues that by setting ground rules upfront could lead to more predictable learning outcomes. Introduction Distance education is gaining currency in the context of the proliferation of e- learning as the current promise of delivering education and training. Current coinages as “just-in-time” learning is providing the impetus for instructionally related companies and institutions to design and deliver instruction which meets training requirements for professional jobs in continual training and upgrading. Even governmental ministries are promoting that all citizens should continue their efforts in life-long learning because economies of the present and future are knowledge based and thus constant learning would be the only assurance of keeping abreast with developments internationally (as read in local newspapers in developed countries). The key driving force of the knowledge economy is that humans are for thinking, machines are for doing. What can be done can be automated, and what can be automated, can be done more cheaply elsewhere. Thus the constant need and drive for human capital to focus on higher-order tasks, capitalizing on human expertise of cognition. Ironically, the current hype of e-learning being able to deliver instruction and learning anywhere, anytime, and any pace (hopefully not anyhow!), creates confusion and defies the basic rationality of the key driving rationale in the distinction made between human and machine capital and expertise (as mentioned above). E-learning is 1