Building a Sense of Community in an Online Class

2007 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly Davenport ◽  
Doug Henry
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Google Search

Three years ago Dimai and Ebner commented that their Google search for "learning community" produced over six million hits. Checking in 2006, we found the number of hits approaching nine million. What are all those pages talking about? Even those who work in the field of online education express their concern about "hype"—the idea that "community" is a buzzword and that only rarely does the writing about learning communities rise above platitudes and lists of "should" statements (Dimai and Ebner 2003:1). Community is an ideal that most teachers seek to develop, whether in face to face or online classes. What is less clear is what practices work in the online context. This article will focus on what we have learned about best practices and technologies to foster such a positive classroom environment, as well as traits that promote a successful transition through graduate school and into the world beyond the academy—things like cooperation, collaboration, mutual support, and perseverance.

Community in the Online Environment

2011 ◽  
pp. 356-360
Author(s):  
Janet Lear
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social

Students enrolled in a face-to-face classroom have the opportunity to interact with their peers and develop a sense of community, feelings of belonging, and connectedness. However, students taking courses accessed through the Internet, while they do have classmates, generally cannot see the other students and usually do not interact synchronously with these individuals because the flexibility of both time and location allow for differences in course access. This lack of face-to-face synchronous interaction with other students enrolled in online classes has led to concern about online education because of the social nature of learning. To facilitate the social nature of learning, instructors in the online environment may design classes that engage students and promote the building of community among the students enrolled in the course. Those instructors who perceive that social learning is important will, therefore, encourage students to build the connections that lead to a sense of community and a successful online learning experience.

scholarly journals Our Self-Access Experience in Times of COVID

2020 ◽  
pp. 250-262
Author(s):  
Adelina Ruiz-Guerrero
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Personal Level

The coronavirus pandemic has without a doubt had an enormous impact on every possible way of our lives. We have felt its effects on an individual personal level and as family members, at work, as members of a community, and particularly as students and teachers. Even in institutions and departments such as ours where online education has been at the forefront of our work for years now, the challenge to survive a fully virtual new reality has left us with a lot of lessons learned and has opened doors to more opportunities for growth. For years now, the Language Department at ITESO has had its language courses in LMS platforms and has offered courses in blended and fully virtual options alongside face-to-face classes. In the English Certificate Programme, we have regular teletandem sessions with universities in other countries. The Language Hub, our self-access centre, offers writing support through an emailing writing desk service and we run virtual conversation clubs on Zoom alongside face-to-face sessions. We are certainly no strangers to online work, but up until now, that was just an option both students and teachers could consider. As of March, this year, our whole university had to move to online classes and the services of our self-access centre had to be adapted to virtual options as well. This report presents our answer to the questions posed by SISAL for this open call to the special issue on how we have lived the experience of self-access during the pandemic.

scholarly journals The Relationships among Quality of Online Education, Learning Immersion, Learning Satisfaction, and Academic Achievement in Cooking-Practice Subject

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12152
Author(s):  
Yae-Ji Kim ◽  
Seung-Hoo Lee
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Learning Satisfaction ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
Structural Influence

The purpose of this study was to identify the problems of online education perceived by learners in a time when non-face-to-face online lectures are conducted due to the spread of COVID-19, and suggest measures to improve educational outcomes. Therefore, the structural influence of cooking practice on the quality of online lessons, learning immersion, learning satisfaction, and the achievement felt by learners was verified. The sample of the study was a college student majoring in cooking, and a total of 509 responses were used for analysis. The results of the study are as follows: First, it was analyzed that there was a significant influence on learning immersion in the order of content, interaction, and educational environment among the quality of online classes. Second, among the quality of online classes, class content and educational environment showed positive (+) influence on learning satisfaction. Third, learning immersion and learning satisfaction showed a positive influence on academic achievement. Fourth, in the direct effect of online class quality on academic achievement, it was analyzed that only class content had a positive (+) effect. Based on the results of this study, the provision of learning materials with detailed explanations was suggested in the online cooking practice class rather than providing a simple cooking video. In addition, it was suggested that as a way to improve academic achievement of online education, it is necessary to provide content that allows learners to immerse themselves in class, as well as class content and educational environment, and consider learning satisfaction.

scholarly journals Perceptions of Public University Students Towards Online Classes During COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shyam Sundar Sarkar ◽  
Pranta Das ◽  
Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman ◽  
M S Zobaer
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Mobile Network ◽  
Public University ◽  
Rural Students ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Virtual Classes

The disease outbreak COVID-19 pandemic impacted public health and safety and the educational systems worldwide. For fear of the further spread of diseases, most educational institutions, including Bangladesh, have postponed their face-to-face teaching. Therefore, this study explores public university student’s perceptions towards online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Data had collected among students of Islamic University, Kushtia, Bangladesh, through an online survey. The study followed a quantitative approach, where the survey technique was used as an instrument of data collection. Results showed that most students faced difficulty participating in virtual classes and could not communicate with their friends correctly during online classes. Thus, they faced challenges in online schooling, and the majority of the students preferred conventional types of learning to virtual classes and did not understand the content of virtual classes easily. The study also explored that most students did not feel comfortable in online classes. Still, considering the present pandemic situation, they decided to participate in online classes to continue schooling. Besides, the study discovered that female students showed a better view than male students regarding online classes, and urban students have more positive appreciation than rural students. Furthermore, laptop or personal computer users showed more positive perceptions towards online education than mobile users. Moreover, Broadband/Wi-Fi users have more positive perceptions than mobile network users. These findings would be an essential guideline for governments, policymakers, technology developers, and university authorities for making better policy choices in the future.

scholarly journals Responding in a time of crisis: Assessing extension efforts during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 12-23
Author(s):  
Lendel Narine ◽  
Cristian Meier
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
State University ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Assessment Framework ◽  
Utah State University ◽  
Delivery Methods ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Extension Professionals ◽  
And Shifts

Extension was forced to rapidly adjust its efforts and program delivery methods to respond to clientele needs during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. The pandemic presents a range of unique challenges to Extension including revisions to resource allocations and shifts in programmatic focus. Guided by a needs assessment framework, this paper assesses the rapid response of Utah State University (USU) Extension to meet residents needs during COVID-19. This correlational study gathered data from 199 Extension professionals (n = 199) at USU Extension. Findings show Extension professionals had good capacity to implement outreach activities related to online education, engaging residents, and external partnerships. Further, Extension took rapid actions in several areas in response to COVID-19, including providing online learning activities for youth, and conducting online classes in place of traditional face-to-face classes. Findings show professionals’ outreach capacity was positively related to the total number of actions taken in response to COVID-19. Extension professionals addressed COVID-19 topics such as telehealth, temporary homeschooling kids, and stress management. This study demonstrates the adaptability of Extension to an unpredictable event and provides a framework to assess response. Findings are geared towards effective resource allocation to support Extension’s role in meeting residents’ needs during COVID-19.

scholarly journals Building a Teaching and Learning Community: A Blended Approach to Providing Support

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darlene Spracklin-Reid ◽  
Lesley James ◽  
Kelly Hawboldt ◽  
Salim Ahmed ◽  
John Shirokoff
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Process Engineering ◽  
Practical Approach ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Active Teaching

Creating an active teaching and learning community can be challenging but at Memorial University, a blended approach is proving to be effective. Through regular face-to-face group discussions, one-on-onecoaching sessions, and online sharing and support, anactive community of teachers and learners is being created in Process Engineering. This paper details a practical approach to engaging students and faculty in program development, encouraging dialogue about best-practices in teaching and learning, sharing resources, and providing support and mentorship.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Analysis of Online Classes During Covid-19: Perspective of Female University Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-75
Author(s):  
Farhat Ullah ◽  
Shakeel Ahmad ◽  
Rashid Ishaq
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Interpretive Study ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Pros And Cons

The intent of this research is to analyse female students’ perspective on online education in public sector universities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. To get a better understanding of these perceptions, the Kohat University of Science and Technology (KUST) (Kohat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan), has been selected for this qualitative, exploratory, and interpretive study. The data for the study was analysed using the discourse analysis technique, and themes were extracted from the data. This analysis enabled us to delve into specific issues linked to female students’ experiences regarding online learning. This goal was achieved by relating access to and use of technological resources and the effectiveness of online classes. Keeping in view the application of online classes, both pros and cons are discussed as compared to face-to-face classes. The findings indicate the need to adapt and adjust the methodology’s implementation by taking into account not only its unique characteristics but also its merits and demerits. To sum up, incorporating such a technique into the educational environment may be justified if specialised training is obtained to maximise the potential of online classes.

Technophobe to Technophile…Entering the Internet Culture

2012 ◽  
pp. 1506-1517
Author(s):  
Pamela L. Anderson-Mejías
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Older Students ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Internet Culture ◽  
Virtual Class ◽  
The Face ◽  
University Setting

This chapter describes a successful means of introducing returning, older students to online education in a university setting. After presenting basic background from the literature on retention within online classes, the case is presented in detail as to how 16 fearful learners became confident and successful through the instructor’s taking time for preparation, establishing a sense of achievement using the technology, creating interconnections with peers, and demonstrating the usefulness of the virtual class over the face-to-face class. The author hopes that by describing in detail the case and the principles found, future educators can prepare their traditional students for the culture of virtual learning environments, thus expanding options for their programs while addressing university administrative concerns about student retention.

Constructivist Online Learning Environment Survey

2007 ◽  
pp. 299-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Classroom Environment ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Online Learning Environment ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
On Line ◽  
On Line Learning

Understanding the psychosocial classroom environment has been important in both traditional face-to-face courses and online education. Trickett and Moos (1974) pioneered the use of post-course self-report instruments to measure the classroom environment through the Classroom Environment Scale. More recently, Taylor and Maor (2000) developed the Constructivist On-Line Learning Environment Survey (COLLES) to examine the students’ perceptions of online learning environment in light of social constructivist pedagogical principles. The 24-item, Likert-type COLLES instrument is a popular measure for examining online learning environments for a least two reasons. First, it measures the online learning environment along constructivist categories, which makes it in line with the dominant pedagogical philosophy for online instruction. Second, the COLLES instrument is freely included in the Survey Module of Moodle, the most popular open source course management system available. This makes it particularly convenient for online instructors to use COLLES in their teaching and research.

scholarly journals Speech Anxiety in the Communication Classroom During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Supporting Student Success

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzy Prentiss
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Classroom Culture ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Speech Anxiety ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Global Pandemic

A wealth of literature clearly supports the presence of speech anxiety in the communication classroom, especially in those classes with a focus on public speaking and/or presentations. Over the years, much work has been done on intentional approaches to empowering students to effectively manage their speech anxiety in face-to-face, hybrid, and online communication courses. These research-based findings have led to best practices and strong pedagogical approaches that create a supportive classroom culture and foster engaged learning. Then COVID-19 appeared, and things changed. In an effort to keep campuses safe and save the spring semester, everyone jumped online. Many instructors and students were experiencing online education for the first time and, understandably, anxiety exploded. Between the uncertainty of a global pandemic, the unchartered territory of a midterm pivot to fully online education, and the unknown effects of the situation on our educational system, our stress levels grew. Public speaking and presentations took on new meaning with Zoom sessions and webcams and our speech anxiety, undoubtedly, grew, as well. Reflecting upon the scholarship of the past with an appreciation of our present situation and looking toward the future, we will curate a list of best practices to prepare students to effectively manage their speech anxiety with agency, ability, and confidence.

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