1. Building Sense of Community in
Online Learning Environments
Michiko Kobayashi, Ph.D.
2. Issues in online courses
- A higher attrition rate.
- Students’ feelings of
isolation.
- “Coldness” of mediated instruction.
- Unable to create affective relationships with
students.
3. Adding a human touch in online courses
can solve those issues.
4. How can we promote
sense of community in online learning?
Trust
Social Support Learner-centered
Shared
Interaction Sense of Community responsibility
Attitudes towards technology Equal status
Emotional closeness
5. Know your students
- Have a face-to-face first session
if possible.
- Obtain information about your
students at the beginning of the
course.
e.g. Professional goals, Interests,
Technology skills,
Prior distance learning
experiences
6. Promote Emotional Closeness
- Post your self-introduction in the first
week of the course.
*Audio and video messages if possible.
- Include your photo in the course web site.
- Include a student’s first name
in your email response.
- Always encourage them to ask questions.
7. - Use formal and informal writing styles
depending on the situation.
* Informal writing style conveys
friendliness.
- Recognize students who demonstrate
outstanding performance.
* Post the student’s work after obtaining
his/her permission.
8. - Find a way to express your feelings and
emotions in email.
*Emoticons (icons that express emotions)
can compensate for lack of visual cues.
e.g. :-) ----> smile
:-( ----> sad, disappointed
:-o ----> surprised
9. Facilitate interaction and collaboration
- Have students introduce
themselves to each other.
* This can be incorporated into a
small group activity at the
beginning of semester.
- Provide a variety of group activities.
* Accommodate individual differences
** A small group is easier to develop
a personal relationship.
10. - Clearly state goals for the activity and
provide specific grading criteria.
* Participation in online discussion should
be a graded component of the course.
- Ensure equal opportunities for participation
by all students
* The number of chat group members
should be no more than three.
11. - Allow students to select a discussion
topic if possible.
* Give pre-set topics and ask
them to choose one.
- In collaborative activities, emphasize
group goals to increase a group cohesiveness.
- Provide online communication space
for students’ social communication
* It should be separate from the one
used for class assignments.
12. Be a model for students to implement
effective online communication
- Respond to students’ emails promptly.
- Provide timely responses to posted messages.
* But, the instructor’s intervention (comments)
should be minimum during student discussion.
- Teach students etiquette in online
communication.
* Create online communication
rules in your course.
13. - Be a moderator of online discussion.
- Initiate communication
- Invite participation
- Recognize all contributions in
discussion
- Restate what others have said and
summarize ideas
- After you demonstrate a moderator’s role,
select a student moderator and rotate the
role.
14. Minimize student frustration in
using technology
- Use only technology that helps student
learning.
- Make sure that text, audio, and video files
for the class can be downloaded “easily.”
- Provide technical support promptly.
Always have alternatives.
