Resource Sharing Week 4 - Online Learning Communities

Teaching and learning has made a shift from the classroom to online communities. Universities are looking to online and blended courses to engage learners in communication and dialogue that does not always involve face-to-face interactions. In order to move a cohort to a community, Misanchuk and Anderson suggest “encouraging interaction at three levels: communication, cooperation, and collaboration” (para. 16). Palloff and Pratt (2007) discuss the changes students experience in an online community, including “greater availability and accessibility or information, engagement of different learning styles, and promotion of increased responsibility for teaching and learning” (p. 4). If the benefits from this style of learning are so apparent, why are distance learning schools or programs not as prevalent?

One possible answer can be found in the development of online learning communities. In Creating Collaborative Communities, Dr. Soren Kaplan discusses the participants, group processes and technology that are needed to build and run successful online communities. When working with those involved in a particular online community, it is important to clearly define the roles of the participants, create sub-groups focused on certain topics or areas important to the whole community, and support the individuality of the participants. Establishing behaviors for the group, developing trust, and creating a relationship with smaller groups to share work and ideas are ways in which the online community can grow and develop successful interactions. In terms of technology usage, “The goal should be to serve the community through its transparency - learners' time should be spent learning about the topic at hand, not about how to use a given technology” (Kaplan, 2001-10, para. 20).

As the years continue, our students are going to have increased access to technology and the role of the classroom will change dramatically during our tenure as teachers. Not only will we be expected to participate in online learning communities in a professional manner, but soon we will be engaged in student centered online learning communities in which our role as instructor will turn to facilitator.

References

Kaplan, S. (2001-10). Creating Collaborative Communities. Retrieved from
http://www.icohere.com/CollaborativeLearning.htm

Misanchuk, M. & Anderson, T. Building community in an online learning environment: communication, cooperation and collaboration. Retrieved from http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed01/19.html

Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.