Element #5: A Sense of Learning Community, Communication and Student Support

One of the most overlooked, yet most important components of a quality course is the importance of building a community integrated with communication and support structures for students (Barab & Duffy, 2000; Johnson, Aragon, Shaik, & Palma-Rivas, 2000; Laurillard, 1993; Palloff & Pratt, 1999). Instructors often focus on covering the course content and may overlook the importance of building relationships and providing individual feedback and support opportunities for students. This is especially true when a course is delivered online where instructors do not actually see the students which makes it especially easy to forget about the humanistic aspects of learning. As a result, the act of teaching could easily become only a delivery format for providing materials rather than a catalyst for encouraging the process of learning. Although the consensus in the literature today is not to compare the online learning experience to the face-to-face experience (Parsad & Lewis, 2008; Sitzmann, Kraiger, Stewart, & Wisher, 2006); instructors should be aware of the importance of the seminal literature on student/instructor engagement (Bates & Poole, 2003; Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996; Chickering & Gamson, 1987) and try to incorporate the social aspect of learning into their course design no matter what type of delivery format (Brown, 2001; Conrad & Donalson, 2004; Salmon, 2000; Swan, 2002). We contend that the social aspect of learning can make the learning experience a rewarding and enjoyable experience, as well as an efficient and effective format for learning (Conrad & Donalson, 2004; Graham, Cagiltay, Lim, Craner, & Duffy, 2001; Ko & Rossen, 2004). Ensuring a well-designed learning environment by maximizing resources, building interaction opportunities, and developing a sense of community has also been cited in the literature as important factors in improving the persistence of learners (Parker, 2003; Shea, Sau Li, & Pickett, 2006).
In any type of learning environment instructors should:

Clearly define the preferred communication methods and channels so that students and instructors can communicate reliably
Take the time to lay out the rules for conduct and communication and learning so that students will know how you expect them to interact
Provide opportunities for community building via which students regularly interact with other students, materials and the instructor(s); and
Make it clear to students where to turn for technical support and set expectation for how quickly they should expect a response

TLT and Distance Education can help you learn and use various communication tools with your class. Students and instructors can contact the Uonline help desk (801-585-5959 or classhelp@utah.edu) for technical support and assistance with class tools.

More information about learning community establishment, communication, and student support is available at Phase 3 Teach.

Element #5 References

Barab, S. & Duffy, T. (2000). From Practice Fields to Communities of Practice. In (Eds.) D. Jonassen S. Land (Eds.), Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments. LEA. http://inkido.indiana.edu/research/onlinemanu/papers/commun.pdf Links to an external site..

Bates, A. & Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley

Brown, R. E. (2001). The process of community‐building in distance learning classes. Journal of Asynchronous Learning. 5, 18‐35.

Chickering, A. & Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, 39, 3-7. http://www.iub.edu/~icts/pdf/sevenPrinciple_fall1987.pdf Links to an external site.

Chickering, A.W., & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as Lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 3 6.

Conrad, R. & Donalson, J.A. (2004). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Graham, C., Cagiltay, K., Lim, B., Craner, J., & Duffy, T. M. (2001) Seven Principles of Effective Teaching: A Practical Lens for Evaluating Online Courses, The Technology Source Available online at http://technologysource.org/article/seven_principles_of_effective_teaching Links to an external site.

Johnson, S. D., Aragon, S. R., Shaik, N., & Palma-Rivas, N. (2000). Comparative analysis of online vs. face-to-face instruction.ERIC Document No. ED 448722.

Ko, S. & Rossen, S. (2004). Teaching online: A practical guide. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Laurillard, D. (1993). Rethinking university teaching a framework for the effective use of educational technology. USA and Canada: Routledge Falmer.

Palloff, R. M. & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.

Parker, A. (2003). Identifying predictors of academic persistence in distance education. USDLA Journal, 17 (1). Retrieved May 19, 2004 , from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/JAN03_Issue/article06.html Links to an external site..

Parsad, B. & Lewis, L. (2008). Distance education at degree-granting postsecondary institutions: 200607 (National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences 2009-044). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009044.pdf Links to an external site.

Salmon, G. (2000). E-Moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Shea, P., Sau Li, C., & Pickett, A. (2006). A study of teaching presence and student sense of learning community in fully online and web-enhanced college courses. Internet Higher Education, 9 (3), 175-190.

Sitzmann, T., Kraiger, K., Stewart, D., & Wisher, R. (2006). The comparative effectiveness of web-based and classroom instruction: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 59, 623- 664.

Swan, K. (2002) Building Learning Communities in Online Courses: the importance of interaction. Education, Communication and Information, 2 (1), 23-49