Satrohan, That could be true about students who have poor written skills not communicating in the dicussions due to that; in discussion groups you will have individuals whos' primary language is not english and as long as they are performing and interacting in the discussions, students who may have difficult in the written communication may not be as intimedated.

As an instructor one of the problems I encounter is students not interacting together appropriately in group projects in a traditional classroom. Students miss the concept of working as a group in a classroom setting. On-line courses force students to interact within a group to accomplish the project. You will have students who in a regular classroom setting would not be forth coming with ideas and interact, because they feel dominated by students who are more vocal. Discussion boards give students an even playing field when presenting their ideas for the project and discussing with their groups.