JET_V10_N3_RP3 Dr. Raji Swaminathan Thalia Mulvihill Journal of Educational Technology 2230 - 7125 10 3 27 34 Online Education, Cognitive This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated graduate student perspectives of online discussions in higher education courses. The data are drawn primarily from interviewsand student journal entries. The study examined student experiences of online discussions from a “technorealist” perspective thereby taking into account not only the potential but also the limitations of online spaces for teaching and learning. This paper focuses on some of the popular claims of asynchronous discussions as presented in the literature; along with findings from a study of student perspectives of the same. Finally, the implications of the findings for online instructors are discussed. October - December 2013 Copyright & copy; 2013 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2503