13 December 2018Monthly Workshop Series

BUILDING COMMUNITY IN ONLINE COURSES

PRESENTER INFORMATION

GALEN DAVISDirector of Faculty Development The Learning House

LEARNING OBJECTIVESBy the end of this session, you should be able to:

• List the benefits of developing a virtual community of inquiry.

• Describe the relationship between presence and community-building.

• Articulate strategies to build community in your online course.

AGENDA

1. Characteristics of Community

2. Presence

3. Strategies to Build Community

1. CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY

WHAT DEFINES COMMUNITY?1. Sense of shared purpose

2. Boundaries identifying members

3. Rules for community behavior

4. Interaction

5. Trust, respect, and supportSource: Vesely, Bloom, and Sherlock (2007)

ELEMENTS OF A LEARNING COMMUNITYElement Implication for Online Learning CommunitiesHistoricity Celebrate and make public the diverse background, skills, and experiences of your students.

Identity Underscore the goals of your course and create a sense of shared purpose.

Mutuality Encourage respectful collaboration and interaction.

Plurality Allow students to leverage and share external networks.

Autonomy Respect and foster individual identity and expression in addition to group identity.

Participation Encourage participation and involvement in the learning process.

Future Encourage students to consider your course’s applicability to their future lives.

Technology Avoid using tools for tools’ sake. Utilize familiar and easy-to-use interactive media.

Learning Keep discussions on track and offer opportunities for metacognitive reflection.

Integration Ensure the coherence of your course and the alignment of its components.

Source: Schwier (2002)

Additions for Virtual Learning Communities

BENEFITS OF LEARNING COMMUNITIES

• Enrichment of ideas

• Deep learning

• Improved communication skills

• Increased motivation

• Augmented awareness of individual responsibility

Source: Moisseeva, Steinbeck, and Seufert (2007)

ADULT LEARNERS AND ANDRAGOGY• Refers to theories/practices related to adult education

• Characteristics of adult learners:– Self-directed

– Possess a reservoir of experience

– Ready to learn

– Purpose-oriented / problem-centered

– Intrinsically motivated

– Desire relevancy

Age Range Nationwide18-24 12.9%25-29 20.7%30-34 19.4%35-39 19.4%40-44 3.4%45-49 7.5%55 and older 8.8%

2. PRESENCE

MAPPING ENGAGEMENT AND PRESENCE

Student -Content

Student -Instructor

Student -Student

Social Presence Cognitive Presence Teaching Presence

PRESENCE• Instructor presence is generated by perceptions of:

– Facilitator’s communication style– Frequency of facilitator’s communication– Facilitator’s expertise

• Social presence is generated by students’:– Feeling of social/emotional connectedness– Identification with course goals– Ability to experience immediate/personalized interactions

• Cognitive presence is created when students:– Construct their own knowledge– Engage in metacognitive activities

INSTRUCTION“SAGE ON THE STAGE”

FACILITATION“GUIDE ON THE SIDE”

SOCIAL CAPITAL

• Requires trust

• Enhanced by storytelling

• Accelerated by collaboration

The stock of social trust, norms, and networks that people can draw upon to solve common problems.

Netiquette, icebreakers

Discussion boards

Group work

Source: Daniel (2002)

BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH PRESENCE1. Immediately work to build social presence through social activities.

2. Gradually strengthen social capital and cohesion with discussions and group work.

3. Continually practice instructor presence via facilitation (rather than direct instruction).

4. Foster cognitive presence by enhancing social and instructor presence.

3. STRATEGIES TO BUILD COMMUNITY

OFFER AN ICEBREAKER ACTIVITY• You could ask students to:

– Submit 5 images that best describe themselves– List their top 3 books– Post links to video/audio introductions

• Key information:– Why they’re taking the course– Where they’re located– Hobbies/interests– Professional affiliations

HIGHLIGHT A NETIQUETTE POLICY

1. Create it

2. Highlight it

3. Enforce it

4. Live it

DISCUSSION FORUMS

Student -Content

Student -Instructor

Student -Student

Discussion Forums

Cognitive Presence

Social PresenceTeaching Presence

LEVERAGE DISCUSSION FORUMS• Design excellent prompts

– Ensure alignment– Avoid factual/“thoughts & feelings”

questions– Pose provocative questions– Encourage problem-solving– Consider forum-based activities

• Facilitate discussions effectively

ASSIGN GROUP WORK

• Collaborative rubric design

• Case-based learning

• Peer reviews/feedback

• Contracts

CREATE MODULE INTRODUCTION VIDEOS• Enhance instructor presence

• Provide context

– Review: activate prior knowledge

– Preview: provide guidance

– Motivate: connect to the real world

INCLUDE REFLECTIVE EXERCISES• Prior knowledge assessment

• Journaling• Discussion boards after assessments• ePortfolios

• Midterm evaluation• Rubric design/feedback

CONCLUSIONS

COMMUNITY OF INTEGRITY

• Social learning theory: “much of human behavior is learned through the influence of example”

• Promote a culture of integrity by– Enhancing “boilerplate” academic integrity statements– Addressing explicitly what academic integrity means to you– Providing clear assessment instructions and/or rubrics– Punishing academic dishonesty (deterrence theory)

Source: McCabe, Butterfield, & Trevino (2006)

TAKEAWAYS

• Building a community of inquiry has a positive effect on perceived learning.

• You can create specific types of presence through specific types of interaction.

• You can leverage specific types of presence to build community.

• A strong sense of community can promote academic integrity.

TAKEAWAYS (2)• Foster social presence by:

– Offering an icebreaker activity– Customizing, highlighting, enforcing, and living a netiquette policy– Offering students opportunities to share their experiences

• Build instructor presence by:– Establishing context throughout the course– Favoring facilitation over direct instruction– Creating effective videos– Providing effective feedback

• Foster cognitive presence by:– Creating opportunities for group work– Encouraging metacognitive perspectives

QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONReferencesAmbrose, Susan A., Bridges, Michael W., DiPietro, Michele, Lovett, Marsha C., & Norman, Marie K. (2010). How learning works: 7 research-based principles for smart

teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Clark, M. C. (2010). Narrative learning: Its contours and its possibilities. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2010(126), 3–11.Clinefelter, D. L., & Aslanian, C. B. (2017). Online college students 2017: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.

Daniel, B. (2002, April). Building social capital in virtual learning communities. Retrieved from https://etad.usask.ca/802papers/daniel/daniel.pdfGarrison, D. R. (2007, April). Online community of inquiry review: Social, cognitive, and teaching presence issues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 11(1),

61-72.Garrison, D. R., Cleveland-Innes, M., Fung, T. S. (2010, January). Exploring causal relationships among teaching, cognitive and social presence: Student perceptions

of the community of inquiry framework. Internet and Higher Education, 13(1-2), 31-36.

Magda, A. J., & Aslanian, C. B. (2018). Online college students 2018: Comprehensive data on demands and preferences. Louisville, KY: The Learning House, Inc.Mccabe, D. L., Butterfield, K., & Trevino, L. K. (2006, September). Academic dishonesty in graduate business programs: Prevalence, causes, and proposed

action. The Academy of Management Learning and Education, 5(3), 294-305.Moisseeva, M., Steinbeck, and R. Seufert, S. (2007). Online learning communities and collaborative learning. Retrieved November 19, 2009, from

http://www.iienetwork.org/?p=41543Schwier, R. A., (2002, June 1). Shaping the metaphor of community in online learning environments. Paper presented at the International Symposium on Educational

Conferencing, Banff, Alberta, CA. Retrieved from http://davidwees.com/etec522/sites/default/files/schwier.pdfShea, P. & Bidjerano, T. (2009). Community of Inquiry as a theoretical framework to foster “epistemic engagement” and “cognitive presence” in online education.

Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 52(3), 543–553.

Sheridan, K., & Kelly, M.A. (2010). The indicators of instructor presence that are important to students in online courses. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 6(4)

Vesley, P., Bloom, L. & Sherlock, J. (2007). Key elements of building online community: Comparing faculty and student perceptions. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching 3(3), 234-246. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/vesely.pdf

GALEN DAVISDirector of Faculty Developmentgdavis@learninghouse.comhttps://training.learninghouse.com