Online Communities impact both student learning and satisfaction within online courses if facilitated properly because the learners will experience “the perception of learning, and feeling like a part of something larger” (Palloff and Pratt, 2012). According to Palloff the “power” is in the learner to learner dynamic via “co constructed knowledge and learning, continuous reflection, increased self-direction and sense of presence. There are five elements necessary to define and develop an online community.

Five elements of an online community

1. People
2. Purpose
3. Process- the way in which the course is delivered
4. Method
5. Social Presence-through text we develop a sense of who we are (Palloff and Pratt, 2012)

Online communities are sustained through careful attention to the development, guidance and nurturing of the learner participants. Learners must have a clear understanding of how they are supposed to satisfy the course requirements, how often they are expected to demonstrate social presence and by what timeframe. All expectations should be clearly explained in the initial stages. The relationship between community building and effective online instructors rests on everyone. How well the facilitator lays the foundation within the social constructivist’s theory, engage learners further helping them to negate the sense of isolation (Palloff and Pratt, 2012). How well the students demonstrate social presence, continuous reflection and respond to the social pressure to succeed. In addition to this, how well were these efforts supported by the administration will determine the outcomes of these important relationships? I learned that many times students may expect more from online instruction by the facilitator, but this can be addressed by a strong social presence and being an active facilitator. I will make sure I inject the appropriate level of personality, make the course easy to navigate, and email a welcome letter when appropriate rather than just posting it to the virtual classroom.

Reference:

Palloff, R., Pratt, K., (2012) Online Learning Communities [Video] Pearson; Laureate Education