Palloff, Rena M., & Pratt, Keith (1999).  Building learning communities in cyberspace: Effective strategies for the online classroom.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Quotes

• "… when the only connection we have to our students is through words on a screen, we must pay attention to many issues that we take for granted in the face-to-face classroom." p. xiv.

• "Key to the learning process are the interactions on long students themselves, the interactions between faculty and students, and the collaboration and learning that results from these interactions." p. 5

• "In distance education, attention needs to be paid to the developing sense of community within the group of participants in order for the learning process to be successful." p.29

PART ONE:  THE LEARNING COMMUNITY IN CYBERSPACE

Chapter 1: When Teaching And Learning Leave The Classroom

Academia is in transition.  With the growing number of nontraditional students, it is estimated that fewer than 25% of college students today are the "traditional" student (i.e.,  between eighteen and 25 and attending full-time).  At the same time, universities are feeling pressure to cut costs while improving quality, to respond to competitive pressures by focusing more on customer needs.   Additionally, there are many new information technology tools, in both faculty and students are grappling with the changes they bring to education.  More and more schools are implementing or planning distance education.

We are finding that faculty and students behave differently in distance learning vs. on-campus classrooms, and the nature of teaching and learning can change dramatically.

Definition

Distance learning involves:

• Separation of teacher and learner throughout much of the instructional process
• The use of media to deliver course content and unite teacher and learner
• Two way communication between teacher and learner
• Separation of teacher and learner in space and time
• More control of learning by students rather than the instructor

Learners in traditional classrooms are often passive.  Learning in a distance education environment cannot be passive or else the instructor has no way of knowing that students are participating.  A web of learning must be created; that is, a network of interactions between the instructor and other participants.

Students in Cyberspace

According to the California Distance Learning Project, students attracted to distance education:

• Are voluntarily seeking further education
• Are more motivated
• Have higher expectations
• Are more self-disciplined
• Tend to be older than the average student
• Have a more serious attitude about their coursework

Not all students will do well in the online classroom.  Those who do not should be given the alternative of returning to a traditional classroom.

Introversion and Extroversion

The online environment can lead introverted persons to become more successful, but extraverted people may have more difficulty.

Making the Transition

Current distance learning classes are primarily textual. In a traditional classroom, students interact with each other before and after class. They can view facial expressions and body language, hear tones of voice.  Lacking these features, it is sometimes difficult to establish a presence online and people run the risk of becoming "disembodied".

Students can be encouraged to establish an online presence via homepages, move posting biographical introductions, and being encouraged to share feelings.

Nipper (1989) suggests it is important to somehow create the sense that a group is working together in real time, even when most of the group interactions are asynchronous.

But while the online experience sometimes takes away, it also sometimes gives.  Socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, gender, and other characteristics are less apparent online.  People are judged more by the quality of their thoughts and ideas. 

The Search for Knowledge And Meaning In The Online Classroom

Children today are being weaned on video games and the Internet. Thus, they expect more active ways of learning.  However, at the same time a technological gap is opening between students and educators, who are for the most part newcomers to these technologies.

Emerging models of learning like constructivism and active learning emphasize experimentation, exploration, interaction, feedback, collaboration, teamwork, groups activities, and simulation as processes by which borders actively create knowledge and meaning.  Such models are the choice for online distance learning environments.  However, they tend to convert teachers from "experts" to "facilitators", a transition with which many faculty experience difficulties.

New Approaches, New Skills

It is up to the teacher to create a "container" for the class by posting goals, objectives, expected outcomes, initial guidelines, questions to kick off discussion, and assignments. then it is time to take a more of a back seat and begin to gently guide or prod learners.

In this transitional period, many online classes are still content driven, just as they are in a face-to-face classroom.  This facilitator model is a new paradigm.  it is more free flowing and interactive.  for example, produce events may decide on readings, negotiate guidelines, and venture into areas previously unexplored.

Guidelines and Procedures

Guidelines and procedures that are too rigid will constrain discussion.  They should be loose and free flowing.  However, netiquette should be encouraged.

Participation

• "Buy-in" from participants is essential. 
• Minimal levels of participation should be established and agreed upon.
• Initial face-to-face sessions can establish a sense of group identity and support participation.
• Introductions help, as does posting open-ended questions.

Collaboration

• There should be plenty of both participant-facilitator and participant-participant interactions.
• The best way to facilitate collaboration is by modeling the methodology (i.e., to become a group member who is contributing to the learning process).

Chapter 2: Defining and Redefining Community

Definition

Shaffer & Anundsen (1993) define community as "a dynamic whole that emerges when a group of people

• Share common practices
• Are interdependent
• Make decisions jointly
• Identify themselves with something larger than the sum of their individual relationships
• Make a long term commitment to well-being (their own, one another's and the group's)."

In the past, communities were generally place-based.  However, there are indeed such things as electronic community and virtual community, and ties can even be stronger than those in face-to-face groups.

Basic Steps to Build a Virtual Community

• Clearly define the group's purpose
• Create a distinctive gathering place for the group
• Promote affected leadership from within
• Develop norms
• Publish a clear cut of conduct
• Allow members to play different roles
• Allow and facilitate subgroups
• Allow all members to attempt to resolve their own disputes

Stages Of Group Development (Tuckman, 1965)

1. Forming
2. Norming
3. Storming
4. Performing
5. Adjourning

Conflict

• Online groups may have more difficulty reaching consensus, and when they experience conflict (as all groups do) the conflict may be deeper, perhaps because people the old less socially constrained.  This is not necessarily a bad thing-- for example, mediation by the group made lead to stronger group connections.
• Instructors in an online environment should feel comfortable with conflict, should applaud its appearance, should facilitate its resolution if necessary, and may actually need to trigger it on occasion.

The Importance of Community In The Electronic Classroom

If a participant logs onto a course site and there has been no activity for days, he or she may become discouraged or even feel a sense of abandonment.  The learning community acts as a vehicle through which learning occurs. And that sense of community doesn't just happen--- it must be facilitated.  The development of community becomes a parallel stream to the course content.

Personal Issues

You must create space for personal issues in your online course. if this space is not created, purchase events will likely seek out other ways to create personal interaction, either by a email or by bringing personal issues into course discussion.

Participation and Desired Outcomes

An online learning community cannot be created by one person--- no matter how hard he/she works. Participants also have a responsibility to make community happen.  Therefore, accessing the course site is not enough--they must also make comments. Establish minimal guidelines for participation.

Well, I hope that’s enough to give you the flavor of this excellent book.  Other chapters include:

• What we know about electronic learning
• Time and group size
• Managing the technology
• Part two:  building an electronic learning community
• Making the conversion from the classroom to cyberspace
• Building foundations
• Promoting collaborative learning
• Transformative learning
• Evaluation
• Lessons learned and a look ahead