It is my belief from years as a student and an instructor, that online learning environments (OLEs) provide many advantages over conventional classrooms. The OLE software makes distance education possible for students who cannot attend or choose not to attend typical face-to-face classes and has many advantages to both the instructor and the student. OLEs are not without new challenges. One of the most difficult problems to overcome in this environment is the silent, uncooperative class. Collaboration and discussion are advantageous in OLEs because they make the student more central to the learning process. In this paper, the author presents methods to stimulate collaboration and discussion in OLEs.