Abstract
Synchronous discussion and asynchronous discussion have different advantages and disadvantages. However, it is unclear how students react to these two models. Thus, we developed a learning environment that combines these two models, and then examined how students selected them. The findings show that students selected different models at different discussion stages. Additionally, the mixed discussion model, which combines synchronous and asynchronous models, can achieve better performance in discussion, regardless of the types of discussion activity. © 2012 IEEE.