As illustrated by this week's Learning Resources, the construction of a learning community can help facilitate course outcomes and is the vehicle through which online education is best delivered.
To prepare for this assignment, view the video program "Online Learning Communities" and reflect on the significance of online community building as outlined by Dr. Rena Palloff and Dr. Keith Pratt. Then consider the following:
- How do online learning communities significantly impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses?
- What are the essential elements of online community building?
- How can online learning communities be sustained?
- What is the relationship between community building and effective online instruction?
·
How do online learning communities significantly
impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses?
In alignment with the Constructivist Theory,
students must not only engage with the content and the instructor but must
engage with each other in order to gain meaning from the information. In a
learning community, the “goal is a sense of co-created knowledge and meaning”
·
What are the essential elements of online
community building?
Essential elements of online community building
include people, purpose, the process, the method, and social presence. In
order to have an effective online community, you need to have your learners
(people) come together for the learning activity (purpose) delivered in the
most appropriate way (process). The learners must be able to connect with each
other (method) in a way in which each member of the community is able to
contribute and be engaged (social presence). In order to facilitate these
elements, Drs. Palloff and Pratt offer rules of engagement in their educational
video “Online learning communities (2010).
· How often will learners be expected to participate?
· How often does the institution expect learners to participate for official purposes?
·
How can online learning communities be
sustained?
Online learning communities can be sustained firstly
through connecting students to their online learning environment and their
instructor. One way to do this is to require a new student orientation which:
allows students to get to know one another; introduces students to the Learner-Course
Management System; and orients students to the philosophy of online learning.
For students that are new to online learning or who have been away from the
classroom for a long time, the orientation is a good way to acclimate them to
the structure of the course so they are confident moving into their first week
of class. For students who are not new to online learning or are not as removed
from their educational experiences, the orientation is a good way to begin to
engage them in their course’s online learning community. Instructors need to be
well-versed with the technology of the online learning environment so they can
use it to its fullest potential. They also have to be prepared to being just as
active as the learners in the classroom.
·
What is the relationship between community
building and effective online instruction?
Part of the main way engagement strengthens
online instruction is repetition. By offering opportunities for reflection on
the learning through engagement, students gather a deeper understanding of the
material and an increase in social presence. The more students are engaged, the
more support the course gets for success. The student gains a sense of responsibility
for their learning and can partner with the instructor and the administration
to ensure there is knowledge transfer.
References
Laureate
Education (Producer). (2010). Online learning communities [Video file].
The part of the video that surprised me was their discussion of a proper orientation to online learning (Laureate Education, 2010). I had never thought of this before because when I took courses online in the past, and here at Walden, I found the community relatively easy to navigate and if I couldn't find something the instructor was very helpful. What I wasn't taking into account was that not everyone is as tech savvy or as willing to put themselves out there to ask a question (yes, self-centered, party of one!!!). It's important to remember that every learner is going to be different and we cannot assume that everyone will handle adversity in the same manner. I know that Walden had an orientation when I first started, but considering I had taken online classes before, I can't say I devoted all of my attention to it. But, to someone who was entirely new to the philosophy of online learning communities, and potentially more shy about asking questions, getting this in-depth overview would be important.
ReplyDeleteLaureate Education (Producer). (2010). Online learning communities [Video file].
Hi Jasmine,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the introductory process is a good way for students and the instructor to understand who will be participating in the course. I do find that this step can be repetitive for a student who may be enrolled in only online classes and may feel impersonal after doing it a few times. In my own experience, I really liked when instructors have fun and new ways for students to introduce themselves. It away broke up the monotony of the task.
Victoria