According to Wikipedia, "a learning community is a group of people who share common emotions, values and beliefs, are actively engaged in learning together from each other" ("Learning Community", 2011). Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt also stated in their video "Online Learning Communities" that a learning community is "the ability to pull students together, support one another in a learning process, and explore together the content in the course" (n.d.). 
I have had negative and positive experiences in an online learning community and it was apparent between the two that they had completely different standards in how they were set up. The negative experience lacked a sense of openness, support, and a present facilitator. The positive experience was successful because of the standards it had for the online learning community such as, support from students and faculty, learner-to-learner engagement, and a sense of community where the students are comfortable with each other and being open in their participation. These are elements that are thought about in the creation of an online community.
To successfully build an online community, there are quite a few things to consider. The following list comes from the course video titled Online Learning Communities by Dr. Palloff and Dr. Pratt.
- The facilitator needs to be familiar with the technology prior to creating the online community.
- Make the course easy to navigate.
- Be aware of how pages and items are being named (e.g., blogs, student lounge, and Q&A page).
- Build a community and classroom that feels warm and inviting rather than cold and formal.
- Welcome students to post a personal bio introducing themselves to their fellow learners and the facilitator should be the first one to post to set a model of participation.
In addition to those, the KBKMarketing and Consulting blog states that being consistent, providing compelling information, leading by example, and inviting readers to comment are important elements to include in the creation of an online community (Fassl, 2011).
Those are great steps to start building the online community, but how do we keep it sustained? Well, the facilitator needs to remain present throughout and "visit the classroom multiple times a day during the first 2 weeks to ensure things are running smoothly" (Palloff and Pratt, n.d.). It is also important for the facilitator to continue encouraging participation and comment on discussion posts to set an example. The facilitator's support is another area to keep the learning community sustained because the more support the students feel they have, the more likely they are to stay engaged knowing they aren't alone in the online environment. It is also the learner's responsibility to be a "professional participant" (Palloff and Pratt, n.d.). The learner has just as much responsibility in keeping the learning community sustained as the facilitator does because it's a partnership to continue the growth of knowledge within the community.
The learning community also has a relationship with how effective the online instruction will be. The success of the online instruction will be shown through the "excitement of the learner's expression in the new knowledge they've gained" (Palloff and Pratt, n.d.). If the learning community is not built well, the students won't be as engaged to learn therefore affecting the online instruction negatively. According to Palloff and Pratt, "the learning community is the vehicle in which the learning course should be delivered" (n.d.). They go hand-in-hand and the better the learning community, the more the student's feel satisfied, their perception of learning is better, they feel a part of something bigger, and they have a social pressure to succeed.
References
Fassl, K. (2011, February 7). Four Key Elements in Building an Online Community. Message posted to KBKMarketing & Consulting, archived at http://www.kbkmarketingandconsulting.com/blog/onlinecommunity.html
Learning Community. (2011, February). Wikipedia. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_community
Palloff, R., and Pratt, K. Online Learning Communities. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4894963&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
Teri, good job with the blog. The graphics are a nice touch, and I like the subtle gray borders around the images.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on the elements for a successful online community reminded me of something that came out during the video you referenced. I believe the idea was to provide an orientation (two-week, mandatory, if I recall correctly) for the purpose of acclimating learners to the online community environment. Also, as you mentioned, the video talked about the importance of the instructor checking in at least once a day for the first couple of weeks, to make sure learners were participating--and to make special contact with anyone who seemed to be dropping out.
As one who has attempted to teach himself various things over the years, I can appreciate the value of a community. On my own, I’m susceptible to neglecting my studies when the initial ambition loses strength; however, in a group, there is, as you noted the social pressure to succeed, and the sense that what one is doing might actually matter to someone else.
Good post!
Rick