Final Paper: Online Learning Communities

EAC 539: Fall 2014

Neal Ackerman

December, 3 2014

Research has found that online classes have higher dropout rates. Vesely, Bloom
and Sherlock (2007) give a possible explanation. They state, One reason for the
interest in online learning communities has been to better understand and address the
dropout rates among distance education students. Their dropout rates are 10-20%
higher than in traditional courses. Research has identified the feeling of isolation as one
factor associated with higher dropout rates among online students (Vesely, Bloom,
Sherlock, 2007). This paper will focus on the noticeable lack of community and personal
interactions in online environments, which is a major issue of online learning, that I
addressed in my first paper.
I am currently two classes away from completing my Masters degree in
Instructional Technology completely online. While I may not be an expert in online
learning, I now have close to two years experiencing it as a student. From my personal
observations, many classes have lacked personal interactions with other students and
instructors. This makes the classes far less effective, enjoyable and engaging. My
favorite classes have been the ones where I had quality group interactions with other
students which helped me feel personally connected to them. In addition, personal
interactions with the instructors have been just as important to me. I feel that when the
instructor knows and cares about me personally, I become more engaged, focused and
motivated. The classes I disliked the most were the ones where I felt like no one cared
to interact with me and I was just a name and number, not a person to the instructor and
other students. My observations are also reinforced by studies and literature. Palloff and
Pratt (2007) write, who we are as social beings drives learning, and the social aspects
of learning are the most important. Consequently, those connection points, better known

as community, become extremely important in creating a sense of belonging. We further

believe that through the creation of a sense of shared values and shared identity, that
sense of belonging emerges, and the result is a sense of community in the online class
(Palloff and Pratt, Pg.26). Studies and literature have reinforced again and again the
value of learning communities.
One of the most important elements of a successful online class is student
collaboration. The International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE), created
several standards for successful use of technology in the classroom. One of those
standards for students is communication and collaboration. The standard states,
Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,
including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of
others (ISTE). From my learning experiences, I can attest to the fact that collaboration
and communication have been extremely important to my growth as a learner. During
my undergraduate work, which was completed in a traditional classroom setting, I often
felt that I learned the most in study groups and not from class. During my online
Masters program, Ive felt that most of the group projects Ive completed have provided
me some of the best authentic learning experiences. Merrill (2002) views collaboration
as a way to implement the first principles of instructional design. He goes to explain that
Collaboration is emphasized by a number of current models, especially constructivist
models (Merrill, 2002). Not only does collaboration lead to better learning outcomes, it
can also help develop essential real-world skills. Learning best practices for
collaboration as a student can help lead to success at their future employment since
collaboration is critical to most occupations.

Communications between learners and instructors are also critical, especially in

an online environment. Without clear lines of communications, students may find
themselves lost in the curriculum. Instructors need to create environments where
students know how to communicate well with each other. Another critical type of
communication is regular and clear feedback from the instructor. Students will have a
very difficult time improving if instructors arent doing a good job of communicating, what
needs to improve. Swan (2002) writes, Indeed, researchers concerned with computerbased education have identified three kinds of interactivity that support learning in
online courses: interaction with content, the ability of learners to access, manipulate,
synthesize, and communicate content information; interaction with instructors, the ability
of learners to communicate with and receive feedback from their instructors; and
interaction with classmates, the ability of learners to communicate with each other about
content to create an active learning community (Swan, 2002). If instructors aren't
creating these solid lines of communication, students will easily feel lost and frustrated.
We can see creating collaborative opportunities and solid communication is
essential for learning, especially online. However, In order to do this, establishing a
sense of community is critical. Reflecting on my own experiences with online learning, I
can remember becoming more withdrawn from group collaborations and classes when I
didnt feel connected to the other members. Palloff and Pratt (2007) write, the learning
community in an online course allows for mutual exploration of ideas, a safe place to
reflect and develop those ideas, and a collaborative, supportive approach to academic
work (Palloff, Pratt, 2007). In a classroom that hasnt created a strong sense of
community, students wont feel safe or comfortable to explore ideas. Students need to

know and trust each other and the instructor or its very possible the collaborative efforts
and lines of communication will fall apart.
Fortunately for online instructors, it is now easier than ever to create a sense of
community in a classroom. We now have many tools to help build community. These
tools include social media, virtual worlds like Second Life and virtual face-to-face
technologies like Google Hangout and Blackboard Collaborate. Today many of these
technologies can create learning communities that are just as strong traditional
classrooms and potentially better. Exploring how each of these tools can help build a
learning community is very important.
Social Media- From the Delta Workshop Facebook and Twitter for the academic
good we learn that, social networks allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semipublic profile within a bounded system. (2) Articulate a list of other users with whom they
share a connection. (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by
others within the system (Trunzo). Social media is designed specifically for creating
online communities. Ive found that many social media sites already have incredible
tools for developing community.
Specifically, Facebook allows individuals to create a profile where they post
everything from a picture to personal information like their age, gender and interests.
For community building, these profiles are fantastic. It allows individuals to get to know
each other on a personal level. I believe this personal connection is essential for
building learning communities. Profiles might also help students feel a more personal
connection their instructor. Research has actually found that, students who
experienced more self-disclosure from faculty on Facebook reported more motivation

and higher levels of learning (McCole, Everett, Rivera, 2014). Facebook also provides
tools for updates and online discussion opportunities. While there are many different
tools to include a discussion forums in a classroom, the benefit of Facebook is that its
popular and people naturally like to check it. During my Masters program an NCSU,
most of my instructors used Moodles discussion room tool. While I feel Moodles
discussion rooms work great, most students check Facebook with more frequency.
Somehow Its just more fun to check and respond to posts on Facebook, which makes it
perfect for community building.
Second Life- Virtual worlds, such as Second Life, are another great way to build
community within an online class. Warburton (2009) breaks down the key elements in
virtual worlds, such as Second Life. He describes how these virtual worlds include the
persistence of the in-world environment; a shared space allowing multiple users to
participate simultaneously; virtual embodiment in the form of an avatar (a personalisable
3-D representation of the self); interactions that occur between users and objects in a 3D environment; an immediacy of action such that interactions occur in real time;
similarities to the real world such as topography, movement and physics that provide the
illusion of being there. (Warburton, 2009, p. 25). From the description of virtual worlds
above, its easy to see why they have become so popular. Individuals can become
completely immersed in the virtual environment to the point that they feel a part of it. For
building community within an online class, the benefit of students feeling completely
connected to the virtual world around them, can be enormous.
According to Warburton (2009) Second Life (SL) is the most popular platform for
educators and presents some great tools for creating community in an online

environment. From the tutorial Creating Community with Second Life we learn of
several ways to do this. The first way SL creates community is through Avatars. This
allows individuals to express their creativity. They have the freedom to design and dress
their avatars in a way the represents them. As Kathy Phillips from the tutorial stated, the
design of Avatars is an exploration of self. Profiles are another way students can get to
know each other in Second Life. Similar to Facebook, profiles are a great way to learn
about people on a more personal level. SL allows students to experience what theyre
learning. There are SL maps that do everything from provide a virtual tour of different
places, to demonstrating the power of a tornado. After students have experienced
something in SL they can share those experiences with others in the class. Second life
also provides opportunities to meet virtually in groups and share information,
powerpoints or even media. These meetings can include interactions through chat or
audio. All of these features provide opportunities for students to feel more connected to
each other, thus creating that sense of community which is essential to learning.
Blackboard Collaborate/Google Hangout- Face-to-face virtual meetings are
one of the best tools for student interaction and building personal connections. My
personal observation has been that Ive formed the strongest relationships with other
classmates during Google Hangouts. These virtual sessions make it easy to get to know
fellow group members, classmates or instructors. As unimportant as it may sound,
simple chit-chat helps build a sense of camaraderie and personal connection. Virtual
meeting environments facilitate these types of interactions. At the school where I work,
the main technology we use for our online program is Blackboard Collaborate. Weve
found the tools provided by Blackboard for interaction are fantastic. Students can

virtually raise their hands, ask a question through a chat or audio, and even express
emotion with emoticons. The best aspect of Blackboard Collaborate sessions is that
students get the feeling theyre talking to a real person. The live streaming video gives
the feeling of being in an actual classroom, which I think is critical to developing that
sense of community.
Its clear that if educators take the time and effort to create these communities,
well see much higher success rates from students. Creating this community will help
schools, like the one I work for, lower dropout rates and enhance the learning
environment. Vesely, Bloom, Sherlock (2007) stated that, The concept of learning
communities has been discussed for more than two decades (Caverly & McDonald,
2002). Research has clearly shown that functioning in a community can enhance the
learning that occurs among community members (Vesely, Bloom, Sherlock, 2007). At
the end of the day, student success and student learning should be the main focus of
educators and if creating quality learning communities contributes to that success, its
critical that it happens.

References:
ISTE Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/standards
McCole, D., Everett, M., & Rivera, J. (2014). Integrating Facebook into the College
Classroom: Student Perceptions and Recommendations for Faculty. NACTA, 244-249.
Merrill, M. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50(3), 43-59.
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2007). Recontextualizing Community. In Building online learning
communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom (2nd ed., pp. 25-43). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Robertson, A. (Director) Creating Community with Second Life. Lecture conducted from
North Carolina State University, .
Swan, K. (2002). Building Learning Communities In Online Courses: The Importance Of
Interaction. Education, Communication & Information, 2(1), 23-49.
Trunzo, S. (Director) Facebook and Twitter for the Academic Good. Lecture conducted
from North Carolina State University, .
Vesely, P., Bloom, L., & Sherlock, J. (2007, September 1). Key Elements of Building
Online Community: Comparing Faculty and Student Perceptions. Retrieved December
3, 2014, from http://jolt.merlot.org/