Current learning theory holds that meaningful learning requires the learner to interact with new information in a way that will enable comprehension and recall. Comprehension is aided by clear presentation of the information, links to the prior experience of the learner, and opportunities for the learner to work with the information. Recall is much more likely if the learner has the opportunity to fit the information within the structures that he or she has assembled to logically organize ideas, facts, and concepts. Both comprehension and recall occur within a social context, which affects motivation and attention, as well as providing cues for comprehension and recall. As students actively engage in new learning, they can move to higher levels of cognition, involving applying and evaluating knowledge. (Useful overviews of current learning theory for the college instructor are in Bruning, 1994, and Casazza & Silverman, 1996.)

Some ways in which information is most likely to be learned, therefore, include:

• Opportunities to establish personal connections with the information: to identify ways in which it is like something that has already been experienced or learned and how it is different
• Chances to work with the new information:

- to explore how it fits within the structure of ideas already encountered (is it a contradiction, is it an extension, etc.?)
- to test out ideas about the information (would this be so if, does this apply to, is this a case of?)
- or to rephrase, summarize, or teach to others

• An open, comfortable environment in which questions can be asked, ideas tried, anxieties expressed
• Prompt feedback to the learner on how successfully the information is being understood

There are many ways to support learning, but discussion and writing are two very powerful ones. Traditional classroom instruction has made extensive use of these formats. Electronic communication now makes it possible to use discussion and writing in at least two additional ways:

• To enhance a regular classroom-based course by using out-of-class time and a different communication vehicle to supplement classroom meetings
• To provide interaction in a distance learning course by engaging students in actively responding rather than simply reading or viewing course materials