On IRC, several persons can simultaneously participate in a discussion over a particular 'channel', or even multiple channels. That's one of the fortes of IRC, and IRC has been used extensively for live coverage of world events, news, sports commentary, etc. IRC was developed by Jarkko Oikarinen in Finland in the late eighties, and was originally intended to work as a better substitute for 'talk' on his bulletin board. Of course, since then, it attracted overwhelming popularity, especially after the Gulf war when IRC was used to carry live coverage of events, and its growth has been exponential after that. These informative IRC software reviews can be a lot of help when you're trying to decide which program to download.
Many online forums are available for students, parents, and educators.
Message boards and chat rooms for all sorts of discussions related to college life and education exist. You should be able to find a forum for just about any topic you wish to pursue. No plugins are needed for this site. Student Center encourages the development of a virtual student community. College Chat is a chat house where you can meet other college students and alumni on-line.