COW is a computer conferencing tool. A computer conference provides a way for people who are separated by time and space to communicate with each other. This means that conference participants can be in different rooms, buildings, cities, or even countries. Because all conversations are preserved, participants have a record of their discussions to which they can refer. COW can also accommodate non-University participants.
Conferences can be public or private.
In a course conference, the instructor is usually the fair witness. Each discussion topic is subdivided into conversations, and participants join in the conversations by replying to them. Any participant can start a conversation. They settled on COW as the best choice. It offers a fairly intuitive interface, and faculty can therefore administer their own conferences.