Online Learning Communities

Online Learning Communities

§  How do online learning communities significantly impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses?

“An online learning community is very similar to a learning community in the workplace or school in that everyone is working toward a common goal that is a sense of co-created knowledge and meaning. However, it can be a challenge to build online learning communities in a distance learning environment. According to Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt an online learning community “is a community of learners who explore content together in order to construct meaning and knowledge about the content” (Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) ).  

In the book Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace, Palloff and Pratt state, “it is the relationships and interactions amongst people through which knowledge is primarily generated.” The learning community takes on new proportions in this environment and must be nurtured and developed in order to be an effective educational tool.

§  What are the essential elements of online community building?

There are five interdependent elements of online community building. Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt state that there must be people, a purpose, process (delivery of the course), interaction, and presence (Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) ). The outcomes that we are looking for are a sense of co-created knowledge and meaning (Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) ). Students have created this knowledge through learning by doing, not relying on the instructor for the knowledge. Student learning and mastery also comes from a reflection of who we are and what we’ve learned. “The online learning community is part of what makes learning happen for many students” (Boettcher & Conrad, 2010).

 

§  How can online learning communities be sustained?

Online communities were developed to encourage individuals to teach and learn from one another instead of always relying on an instructor.  Online communities also encourage self- learners to discuss and learn about real-world problems/situations as well as focus on things such as teamwork, collaborative thinking, personal experiences, and so on. Members of online communities are entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. However, members are also encouraged to learn from other online community members’ experiences as well as thoughts and opinions.  

Online learning communities should have guidelines that are created by or provided to the participants about how and when to communicate. In a face-to-face learning community these would be called norms and are very similar in an online environment. It is also important that the instructor fulfills the role of the facilitator and mentor. They should provide a safe environment for students and take responsibility for the students interacting appropriately within the community.

§  What is the relationship between community building and effective online instruction?

There is a relationship between community building and effective online instruction. The online classroom should have a welcoming feel and should be slightly personalized for each instructor. If the learning environment is not appropriately developed the students may quickly have feelings of isolation and loneliness and may drop a course before giving the course a chance (Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d)).

Many online learning environments can be very difficult to manage as an adult learner. It is important for the instructor to be available and visible online several times a day to show the students they are physically “there”.  (Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) . Social presence addresses the most basic needs for security and belonging and could be considered the foundation for a functional learning community. (Wilcoxon, 2011)

Engaged learning does not just simply happen. It requires “architectural engineering” by the instructor. Planning and utilizing activities that assist a learner in moving through the developmental stages of engaged learning ensures that learners are involved, motivated, and able to interact and collaborate with one another (Conrad & Donaldson, 2011).

 

References

Boettcher, J. V. & Conrad, R. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide. Simple and Practical Pedagogical Tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.    

 

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

 

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.) “Online learning communities.”  Retrieved from: https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_3466249_1%26url%3D

 

Wilcoxon, K (2011) Building an Online Learning Community. Retrieved from: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/761/building-an-online-learning-community