Text forum features for small group discussions with facet-based pedagogy

We describe an approach to teaching that engages students in small-group discussions of conceptual material. Then we describe software that mediates the discussions with an online textual newsgroup-like system that has special features to support a pedagogical approach that deals explicitly with student preconceptions. Our system, called INFACT-FORUM, is part of a larger CSCL system called INFACT that supports student discussion, computerassisted assessment, display of student progress data, and support for pedagogical intervention. Features of INFACT-FORUM are compared with those of other text conferencing facilities. We distinguish features that pertain primarily to instruction and learning from those that support electronic communication in general.