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1、Creating Community in Online Learning EnvironmentsByDonna GaudetMesa Community CollegeSummer 2005Overview: This document was created as part of a Maricopa Community Colleges summer grant during the summer of 2005. Included are a narrative, set of guidelines, and extensive list of references related
2、to creating community in online learning environment12The word “community” has become an overused buzzword in the Net industry, encompassing everything from user groups on Yahoo, to chat rooms full of teenagers, to full-blown societies such as The Well (Brown & Duguid, 2002; Nichani, 2000). Marketin
3、g gimmicks aside, the traditional definitions of community still apply in the online world, minus the need for physical proximity (Learnativity, 2002; Mieszkowski, 2000; Rheingold, 1993). Just like a traditional community, “an online or virtual community is the gathering of people, in an online “spa
4、ce” where they come, communicate, connect, and get to know each other online” (Boetcher, Duggan, & White, 2002, p. 1). Its not the people who are changing when they get online, it is merely the tools used to create that sense of community (Mieszkowski, 2000; Nichani, 2000). According to Palloff and
5、Pratt, “our communities and neighborhoods are now virtual as well as actual, global as well as local” (1999, p. 25). In an educational environment, the term community is often more narrowly categorized as a “learning community.” “A learning community is a group of people who have come together to fo
6、rm a culture of learning in which everyone is involved in a collective effort of understanding” (Hanna, Glowacki-Dudka, & Conceicao-Runlee, 2000, p. 147). In an online environment, then, these communities exist “when a group of learners forms to expand its collective knowledge and skills, thus suppo
7、rting the growth of individual knowledge and skills” (Hanna, et al., p. 147). Unlike the social, sometimes casual communities that can form in public cyberspace, “educational communities may be more stimulating and interesting for those involved with education because they bring together people with
8、 similar interests and objectives” (Palloff & Pratt, 1999, p. 23).To understand why the concept of community is important online, it is necessary to begin with why it is important in general. Human beings are social creatures by nature and exhibit an innate need to belong or be a part of groups or e
9、ndeavors larger than themselves (Rheingold, 1993; Shaffer & Anundsen, 1993). Our communities are our support groups and the places in which we feel safe to learn, grow, and explore (Shaffer & Anundsen, 1993). In an online classroom environment, the need for a sense of community goes far beyond a bas
10、ic support mechanism. Instead, it is necessary for a successful online experience (Haythornthwaite, Kramer, and Robins, 2000; Palloff & Pratt, 1999; Palloff & Pratt, 2001; Varvel, 2001). The visual cues and face-to-face interactions that support the more natural creation of community in a traditiona
11、l classroom environment are absent in an online classroom. Thus, faculty are challenged to create a sense of community virtually (Boettcher & Conrad, 2004; Rovai, 2002b). In an online classroom, the level of perceived community can directly affect student learning outcomes and can have a huge impact
12、 on the success or failure of the students (Moller, 1998; Palloff & Pratt, 1999). As stated by Palloff and Pratt, “without the support and participation of a learning community, there is no online course” (1999, p. 29). The course instructor holds the key to the building of community (Nichani, 2000;
13、 Wilson, Hardman, Thornam, & Dunlap, 2004). The Field of Dreams (“if you build it, they will come”) philosophy does not hold true for online courses (Rose, 2001). Just because the website and course materials are online does not mean that students will find regular reasons to log in, participate, an
14、d interact. Much more so than the content or flashy look and feel of a course, “the main criterion for creating a successful online learning community depends more on the energy, creativity, and approach of its hosts” (Nichani, 2000, p. 11). There is no getting around the fact that an online communi
15、ty will not create itself. As Boettcher and Conrad indicated, “it must be developed and nurtured through diligent planning by the faculty” (2004, p. 136). Online instructors who subscribe to a “hands-off” philosophy will find themselves facing empty chat rooms and blank discussion boards as well as
16、potentially fewer student completions and lower student success rates (Palloff & Pratt, 1999; Palloff & Pratt, 2005). Building Online CommunityFor instructors who aim to build online community, the research suggests a two-pronged approach: 1) incorporate community-building elements into the instructional design (Boettcher & Conrad, 2004; Kim, 2000; Rovai, 2002b; Wegerif, 1998); 2) interact with students in a way that promotes and supports community (Ben
