RSA 3: Creating an Online Learning Community: Is it Possible?

RSA 3: Creating an Online Learning Community: Is it Possible?

http://dx.doi.org.rwlib.neiu.edu:2048/10.1007/s10755-011-9188-6

In the book, Building Online Learning Communities, Palloff  and Pratt state that “learning in the distance education environment cannot be passive” (2007). It is important to create a sense of community with shared goals so that students can present themselves as a “real” person in an online course (Palloff and Pratt, 2007). Online classes offer the opportunity for a different environment for learning. The traditional lecture model, that doesn’t work for all students, is disregarded. Because of this, more active learners can interact within their collaborative groups, which is very valuable in their learning process. Introvert students can open up more and share their ideas in a safe environment. The interaction among the students creates knowledge and meaning, which is what makes online learning communities work. Also, the facilitation of the instructor is very important in helping to create a strong community in online communities. The key elements that Palloff and Pratt state should be present in an online community are “organized into three groupings – people, purpose, and process – and believe that the outcome of a well-constructed, community-oriented online course is reflective/transformative learning” (2007).

Online learning communities face the challenge of creating an environment that builds a community between the students and staff. The instructor shares the responsibilities in assisting the online community to nurture interactive learning. “The sense of community in an educational environment encourages collaboration, sharing, and relationships to enhance student learning outcomes” (Murdock and Williams, 2011). Murdock and Williams state there is research that shows that establishing learning communities strengthens student learning (2011). “The building of relationships in an online learning community enables the development of a supportive peer network, brings together the social and academic roles of students, and facilitates collaborative and interactive learning (Murdock and Williams, 2011). In this article, Murdock and Williams conducted a study to see if there was a difference in student perceptions of learning communities in an online and on-campus setting. The results stated that students felt no significant difference between an online or on-campus learning community (Murdock and Williams, 2011).  

Both readings proclaim that it is challenging to create a strong sense of community in an online community, unlike the ease of creating on-campus communities. Instructors should be innovative and adaptive (Murdock and Williams, 2011; Palloff and Pratt, 2007). “Instructors of online courses can facilitate the development of an online learning community by adapting instructional techniques to promote students’ sense of connection, engagement, and responsibility (Murdock and Williams, 2011; Palloff and Pratt, 2007). When this occurs, student satisfaction rates are high, dropout rates are lower, and learning online is successful. Within the last decade, the educational system is changing because of the advancement of technology. Education models are changing with time and are allowing students a new innovative and collaborative way of learning in online communities. When online instructors are able to create a safe atmosphere and community, online learning is just as successful as face-to-face learning model (Palloff and Pratt, 2007).  

References

Murdock, J. L., & Williams, A. M. (2011). Creating an Online Learning Community: Is It

            Possible?. Innovative Higher Education, 36(5), 305-315.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective

            strategies for the virtual classroom, (2^nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. ISBN:

978-0-7879-8825-8.