Online Learning Communities

Active participation in an online learning community can impact student learning, and greatly increase satisfaction with online learning programs. An online learning community can be defined as a shared space on the Internet where students and instructors can connect with other, explore content, build knowledge and work together to addresses the learning needs of its members through collaborative partnerships (Pratt & Palloff, Wikipedia). One of the more significant ways that online communities help impact learning is by providing an open forum through which members provide professional support, correction and feedback “in a way that enhances learning and development” (Palloff & Pratt, 2010). Another way, according to Shrivastava, is that individual and group members can “voluntarily accept mutual responsibility for participating and sharing in the learning process.”

Satisfaction with online programs increases when learners actively participate in an online community. This is likely attributed to the belief that students feel part of something larger than themselves when they participate in an online learning community (Palloff & Pratt, 2010). Also contributing to learner satisfaction is the idea that online communities provide viable support systems for students. According to Wellman & Guilia), “ Students who take an interest in each other’s well being, both academic and social, will have more of a support system of peers than those who do not” (1999).

Which strategies should be used to create a successful online learning community? There are two essential strategies to employ. The first would be to foster individual social presence, which is the sense of knowing who the other persons are in the community, virtually, but in a real way. Learners who are able to get a good sense of their online partners, perhaps through a photo, or by learning interesting personal or professional tidbits about them, are more empowered to contribute freely, expressing themselves in authentic and powerful ways, thus contributing to an active and successful community. The second is fostering a sense of shared responsibility for the community. Community members must come to the knowledge and understanding that it is everyone’s responsibility to create a successful online learning community.

Building an online learning community supports effective online instruction. The online community gives learners an opportunity to contribute to one another’s learning, the community’s learning overall, and also to contribute to a specific body of knowledge. Research shows that stronger outcomes are the consistently observed results of active online community participation (Palloff & Pratt). Conrad & Donaldson (2004), report that “each learner’s actions contribute not only to individual knowledge but to overall community knowledge development as well” (p. 5). According to Vesely, Bloom & Sherlock, “The power of establishing a sense of community in online classes has been demonstrated by LaRose & Whitten (2000) who found a statistically significant relationship between students’ sense of community and the positive achievement of learning outcomes in the online setting” (2007). Could it be that a successful, fully active online learning community, in which members are highly engaged, involved and contributing regularly, can serve as an effective proxy for face-to-face interaction? The answer appears to be a resounding “yes.”