But in online classes, all of the participants' responses can be saved and all of the members of the class can reflect on the conversation exactly as it took place. This feature is especially useful in programs where students are together for a long period of time, for they can easily go back through all of the material to reflect upon how their thinking has changed. And because all class members, not just the facilitator, can respond to the written work of the other participants, the typical classroom hierarchy is flattened, giving everyone the opportunity and the confidence to teach and learn together. When students are empowered to become agents of their own learning, they cannot help but be transformed as people. If instructors as facilitators are willing and able to give up much of their control over this interactive learning process, amazing things can happen.
Leadership can emerge from several members simultaneously.
Students who are initially shy or unresponsive have an opportunity to think their responses through carefully before sharing them and to post them without interruption from more vocal classmates. Students who have trouble listening and taking notes can reread and review postings as often as necessary. What might otherwise become competition often transforms into collaboration as the participants see the value of each other's written work, which in other teaching situations is generally for the eyes of the teacher only. If the reflection required for transformative learning is to take place, however, space for it needs to be built into the design of the course. One way of doing this is to ask questions that relate the course material to personal experience.