Having information or questions come in from various contributors provides one recognised benefit for this student’s learning, but the greater benefit is having that information subsequently controlled and valued by the tutor. This seems to be a missed opportunity, where student’s dialogue could have been fostered only for the tutor to make a ruling. A more widespread tendency for students to view participation in the forum exclusively in terms of giving or taking is also evident in this quote. For the student quoted below, the discussion forum served little or no purpose, although she could see the benefit it provided for others: