Building OnLine Learning Communities
The use of online learning has and continues to grow in popularity. It does not matter if you are in education, health care, research or corporate, if you plan to utilize any form of online learning you must be prepared to build an online learning community.
In the media clip “Online Learning Communities” Dr. Rena Palloff and Dr. Keith Pratt attempted to define “Online Learning Communities” and came up with 3 areas which must be considered and implemented in order to build online learning communities....
People: You learners; they must be able to connect and develop a social presence
Purpose: Their must be a purpose or need to connect (course, to find a long lost friend etc)
Process: This is the instructor building the community using specific tools and techniques
So, how do online learning communities impact the learner experience and learner satisfaction?
Think back to a traditional classroom experience you had...ya way back there...back in the day! If you had educational experiences like I did it went something like this....
Go to class....listen to a long, boring lecture....do the homework/reading....cram for the exam, being sure to memorize key points from your reading....take the exam (just skimming by)....leave the exam and hope you had memorized well enough to get a passing grade.
Now, what was the outcome for you? Did it go something like this?
Wow, I passed that exam....I sure hope the next class doesn’t refer back to anything from this class, cause its already been deleted from my hard drive!
Not good,eh?! Now picture todays reality...an online course Here are a few examples of elements of building online learning communities.
- You receive a welcome e-mail from the instructor before the course even begins!
- The school sends you a welcome and instructions to your course portal.
- You participate in a Success for Online Learners Orientation course.
- The instructor posts several messages regarding policies, grading rubric, resources you may need etc
- You are asked to post an introduction of your self in the Student Lounge
- The course officially begins and the instructor sends an outline of assignment deadlines, which helps with your time management strategies.
- The instructor is engaged and available and collaboration is high throughout the entire course
What do you see as the impact on the learner’s experience and on learner’s satisfaction with the course :
Here are a few of my perceptions about this....
Peer learning, improved self concept regarding technology, increased leadership skills, improved collaboration skills, enthusiasm, retention in the course etc.
Sustaining Communities:
The readings by Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). and Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010) both provide great resources regarding the phases of online learning engagement. I believe that engagement is a big factor in sustaining the online learning community!! As an online instructor you will need to ensure that your role is that of a
“Guide on the side vs. Sage on the Stage” Dr. Rena Palloff. The instructor will be an equal member and participant of the community.
There is a strong relationship between building online learning communities and effective online instruction. As Dr. Palloff stated in the media clip, The outcome of online learning is to co-create knowledge. This is not possible without collaboration and engagement.
Check out this video about online learning communities....
Resources:
Media Clip: “Online Learning Communities” Dr. Rena Palloff and Dr. Keith Pratt
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chapter 1, “Teaching Online—the Big Picture”
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Chapter 1, “Engaged Learning in an Online Environment”
Multimedia Game: “Instructional Strategies Timeline”
Students determine on a sliding scale whether instructional strategies are learner- or-facilitator centered.
Multimedia: ADDIE Review Electronic Game
Article: Adams, C. (2009). Is teaching online right for you? As more of your peers enter the virtual classroom, we take a look at the prose and cons. Instructor, 118(6), 41–43.
Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Expanded Academic ASAP database.
Danielle, I’m blown away by your fun content-packed style! I wish more educational blogs took the kind of informal-yet-informative approach you have used. Your writing involves your readers in your message, and your use of aesthetics in your linked video, communicates your message without words. Art that actually communicates has become so rare in this fast-paced digital world. I appreciated the video. Aesthetic content communicates directly with that creative part of the mind that constructs people’s personal understanding of the world around them. Aesthetics ought to be used more often than it is.
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with David that your incorporation of visual aesthetics is very engaging. I was also very interested to see your comparison between traditional and online courses even though my experiences have differed. In particular, you wrote,
“Not good, eh?! Now picture today’s reality...an online course
Here are a few examples of elements of building online learning communities.
• You receive a welcome e-mail from the instructor before the course even begins!
• The school sends you a welcome and instructions to your course portal.
• You participate in a Success for Online Learners Orientation course.
• The instructor posts several messages regarding policies, grading rubric, resources you may need etc
• You are asked to post an introduction of your self in the Student Lounge
• The course officially begins and the instructor sends an outline of assignment deadlines, which helps with your time management strategies.
• The instructor is engaged and available and collaboration is high throughout the entire course”
I’d argue that today’s traditional class has at least five of the seven components you’ve identified as characteristic on an online course. With the exception of asking students to participate in an orientation course and introducing yourself in a student lounge, these appear to be the same components I see in a syllabus or the first half of the first class. My perceptions of the traditional classroom is filtered my teaching experience which has been at highly selective, small colleges with small class sizes (95% less than 30 students). However, in the past five years, I’ve also seen a significant increase in the use of technology to connect students with class materials and expectations. However, I have seen little evidence that the introduction of technology has been for the purpose of building community. In total, it appears that traditional classes are incorporating more technology and class experiences that are also characteristic of online classes. I’m not sure if that diminishes the importance of these components for online courses, but it does appear that the two formats are becoming more similar. That may be a good thing as the data suggest that “blended” formats are more effective than traditional or completely online courses.