Building a Community of Learning in the Online Environment

To develop our understanding of online instruction and to address many of the issues and concerns of this way of teaching, one must think of the environment, the virtual classroom, as a community.  Community as a vocabulary word is derived from the root word “munio” which means “build.”  But it’s not a construction performed solely by the instructor.  The prefix “com” incorporates the idea that the building process is a joint endeavor.  The student has a responsibility in the construction of his own learning and his learning environment also.  In that sense then the student and teacher are partners, and the professor takes on a role different than the traditional center-stage source for the learning.  It also suggests that the student is expected to be a “professional participant” as Dr. Keith Pratt reveals in the video “Online Learning Communities” (n.d.).

As a community, it’s important to establish the purpose of it and the parameters for it.  This the instructor sets up before students enter the virtual classroom.  He prepares the way, as he would in a traditional classroom, by posting the syllabus which outlines the purpose for the course and the guidelines which outline the way all participants are to conduct their efforts.  A website devoted to model train enthusiasts will establish the specific way in which the site will address the interest in model trains.

Something else, beyond course content and establishing the why and how of the course, that the instructor will consider ahead of time is the logistics of the technology.  He needs to be familiar and comfortable with all the tools that the students will use, and just as in a traditional course, he needs to check everything out before the first student arrives.  Are all the lessons open and accessible, or has clear notification been made to the learners that the lessons will open upon completion of the requisite activities of the previous lesson?  Is the sequence of the lessons and access to the materials established?  Nothing will probably turn a student off faster than to face technology that doesn’t work.  Is the navigation clear and easy with no broken links?

To help the community work effectively, the participants may need training in the use of the technology.  Drs. Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt in “Online Learning Communities” both agreed that exposure to too much technology at once, especially for the “native immigrant,” may be overwhelming and create anxiety and a negative force working against the intent to build a successful online experience.  Dr. Pratt further mentions that the online experience may not be for everyone and thus recommends that participants attend an orientation mini-course that explains the expectations of the students but also provides opportunities to learn and practice the technology before proceeding to the academic side of the course.  I might add that the orientation should include simulations which replicate not only the typical activities but also the time-restraints associated with online instruction.  I might add even further that for high school students and their parents that an online course needs to be advertised in a realistic fashion and not be “sugar-coated” as an “easy” alternative to face-to-face instruction.  One of the first concepts to dispel then is the notion of self-pacing.  No course that is presented for credit can be self-paced until the educational institution is ready to establish the logistics and management for open-ended completion of a course.

I’m glad to see that our course work will focus on a major factor of success in the online environment, i.e., social presence.  In traditional classes the relationship between student and teacher has as much value as the academics.  The “affective domain” is for some, especially for the student who needs greater support, just as important as the course content.  In the online environment, the separation by the internet between the participants requires even more of an effort to build the community with emotional mortar.  A bond needs to be established (instructor to student and student to student) that can minimize a natural anxiety generated by the isolation. As such it’s important to emphasize early – before the class begins through the orientation module and the welcome letter/e-mail/audio podcast/video introduction - the collective and collaborative aspect of online instruction.  The collaboration more than likely will be simple through the discussion board or more elaborate through group activities.

Drs. Palloff and Pratt also mention in “Online Learning Communities” the importance of the instructor’s careful observation, especially in the first few weeks, and response to students who may gravitate to the periphery of the course.  The instructor must be proactive and reach out to the student to be inviting and to assist.  He will want to draw the student back into the course and that may simply be the idea of showing that there’s a real person on the other end of the computer or providing assistance with the technology or the content of the course.  Encouragement as well as explanation goes a long way toward showing students that someone cares.  Content + Support (academic, technological, moral, emotional) increase the chances of success in the online experience and become important building blocks in our constructing a community for learning.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (n.d.)  Online learning communities.  [Video]  Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt. [Presenters]  Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6493411&Survey=1&47=7956863&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1