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Hi, Scott ... I do think the backchannel can serve as a means of checking for understanding in the online classroom. However, like all strategies, there is likely a better and worse way to manage it. While a free-for-all backchannel is very exhilarating and often generates a lot of excitement, I think it can have some downsides which the facilitator should watch. The conversation can quickly veer off topic (which is sometimes very appropriate and sometimes not) and I think the dual-converation can be intimidating for some (slow typists, those unfamiliar with the group or the group's norms, those who are overwhelmed by the multiple threads of conversation). I think this will be a fruitful area of future research.