Building CyberLearning Communities in WebCT

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Building Cyber-Learning Communities in WebCT

• Autumn Grubb
• Georgia College State University

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Community

• Social Interaction
• Bonding
• Empirical Experiences
• Sharing
• Meeting Socio/Psychological Needs

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A Viable Community

• Feelings of belonging and of community lead to
  greater commitment to group efforts, greater
  cooperation, and greater satisfaction with group
  efforts.

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Well-Developed Community

• Cohesive
• Manages conflict effectively
• Balances task socio/emotional needs
• Communicates effectively
• Actively involved in group activities

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Cohesive On-Line Communities

• Knowledge Capital
• Social Network Capital
• Communion

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Community Building - F2F

• Introductions
• Ice-breaker activities
• Covering syllabus
• Review schedule/deadlines
• Discuss behaviors/boundaries
• Interpersonal communication
• between students
• with instructor

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Rules of community in F2F

• Turn taking
• Instructor lead
• Physical cues

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The DL Instructor and Learner

• Alone
• Lacks cues/break time
• Threaded discussions
• Text-based thoughts/responses
• Lurking becomes non-participation
• No known rituals to communicate/support/respond

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Creating Community On-Line

• Identifying boundaries
• Instructors roles
• Learners roles

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Concrete Tools

• Class FAQ
• Discussion Forums
• Chat Rooms
• Email
• Syllabus
• Announcements Icon
• Chat Logs
• Course Content

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Keys to Successful Distance Learning

• Honesty
• Responsiveness
• Relevance
• Respect
• Openness
• Empowerment

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