Instructors use threaded discussions to engage students, create community, and encourage exploration of open-ended questions that address the important issues of a discipline. But are threaded discussions appropriate for all online courses, even skills-based courses that don’t seem to have controversial or ambiguous issues to explore? Rebecca Arbisi, chair of the business department at State Fair Community College in Missouri, says they are, and she uses threaded discussions in all of her online courses, including skills-based courses on database management and microcomputer applications.