Educational Conundrum of the Week – Creating a sense of community online

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Instructors have often said that students come to UFV campus because they like the sense of community that exists. Their students say they prefer it to online learning. How have you created a “sense of community” or have been in a learning community online?

4 thoughts on “Educational Conundrum of the Week – Creating a sense of community online”

  1. When I’ve taken classes online, I’ve gotten a sense of community from a few different things:

    1. Clear, specific days/times when the instructor will be online and available to provide synchronous help or facilitate discussion. In some cases these sessions have themes and in some cases they do not; both ways have benefits and drawbacks.The key is that all students know that an opportunity to connect exists. I’ve found these to be particularly helpful when an assignment is looming, but I think it’s also a good idea to provide more general sessions.

    2. Video introductions before the class starts and/or just after the semester begins. I’ve only ever seen the instructor set up a video introduction; students usually post something in a discussion thread. But having students upload videos right at the beginning of a semester will help everyone see each other as individual people not avatars. (video shouldn’t be mandatory though)

    3. Fun things. In “meatspace” a class environment sometimes diverges into randomness or side trips that are unexpected by the students (and sometimes the instructor!). Having something novel like this in cyberspace can add that element of fun that can spark interesting learning opportunities and help everyone enjoy each other’s company.

    • Hi Sandra,

      Thanks for your insight into how to create online communities. Synchronous sessions can definitely help establish a community, but you’ve pointed out that it’s not for everyone so your comment “opportunity to connect exists”, whether they join is up to each student – no pressure or lost marks, just the opportunity to join.

      With Kaltura adding video is now easier than ever and enhances engagement as well as creates a community of learning. For those who may not be familiar, here’s a video on how to add video discussions using Kaltura:
      (http://admin.video.ubc.ca/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/0_3c59rzke)

      Thanks for introducing the word “meatspace”, I’ve never heard of it, but we are experiencing it every day.

      Thanks again for your contribution.

      Ken

  2. In courses I’ve taken as a student (or casual learner in a MOOC), community has been tough to solidify online and often depends on the number of people involved. Too small a student base leaves the online communications feeling sparse; too large a user base (like in many MOOCs) creates too low a signal-to-noise ratio, although that will depend on the student’s available time to keep up on things.

    Most online courses I’ve taken made a point of requiring “classroom”-visible participation to some degree. In a few, it was required to simply make an introductory post to a classroom forum. I’ve often found that while this helps, it’s easy to post an introduction and then move on. It’s great to make sure everyone’s able to participate but isn’t enough to build community.

    Assignments where students are required to give constructive feedback re: each other’s posts on the course content have gone a lot farther. They open the door to students thinking about each other as fellow learners rather than just talking into an online void.

  3. Hi Josh,

    “Available time to keep up on things” was my main issue, too. But, I was always unsure what “keep up on” meant? Few course actually outlined the amount of posts that were expected so I tended to overdo it and burned out.

    Thanks for the “signal-to-noise ratio” phrase – a very useful term.

    Welcome videos certainly help create a community, but like you said, it quickly fizzes out so must be maintained. Yet, online students tend to avoid synchronous sessions. Where’s the Goldilocks zone?

    I’m so happy you brought up peer feedback! Has anyone reading this tried BB Learn’s Self and Peer Assessment? From what I have heard, it does increase community.

    Thanks for your contribution.

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