This research is designed to develop an understanding of the nature of the academic discourse community constructed through and by a computer-mediated asynchronous learning environment. The study examines the environment developed through the online discourse created during an introductory undergraduate liberal arts course in Philosophy. The scientific research on effective learning environments identified by National Research Council is used to inform the methods of Critical Discourse Analysis to provide a close analysis of the context.; The analysis is approached from the perspective of linguistic anthropology and examines the on-line learning environment as a linguistic space created through the online discourse which serves as both a resource for and a product of the social interaction of the students and instructor. In this case, the text was examined with respect to the instructor's and students' goals for the course, and in light of its ability to function as an effective learning environment.; The analysis shows that the learning environment created through and by the online discourse is multidimensional and flexibly adaptive. A range of linguistic strategies provide support for constructing student identities and supporting meaning-making. The findings indicate significant learner control and flexibility afforded by the use of the online discourse which supports both dialogical and monological instruction within the same environment. The ways in which the students chose to use the elements of time and place independence to navigate the environment for their own purposes provides insights into the manner in which the Asynchronous Learning Network functions as a learning space, while also supporting the institutional curricular needs and the instructional goals of the faculty.; The results presented here add to the research on distance learning and extend our understanding the nature of online discourse as both an intellectual dialogue through which students construct meaning and a space for individual reflections through which students come to understand content. The study suggests that perceptions about the function of the learning environment in an online course need to be adjusted to allow for variation in participation based on individual goals.
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