With the advance in information and communication technologies, computer-mediated communication--more specifically computer conferencing systems (CCS)--has captured the interest of educators as an ideal tool to create a learning environment featuring active, participative, and reflective learning. Educators are increasingly adapting the features of computer-mediated communication in terms of its potential for not only increasing the learner's access to information--and do so powerfully and successfully--but also facilitating knowledge construction activities. The purpose of this article is to examine social participation and interactive patterns in asynchronous online computer conferences, and whether the interactive nature of computer-mediated communication support and encourage the construction of knowledge through collaborative learning process. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)