The goal of
community in an online course is twofold:
building knowledge and competencies within learners and building a
network of mutual respect and sharing of ideas and perspectives (Boettcher
& Conrad, 2010, p.55).
Excellent chart [PDF]
From Sergiovanni's Text
From Sergiovanni's Text
“To be
blunt about it, we cannot achieve community unless we commit ourselves to the
principle, “love thy neighbour as thyself”.
..these are scared words, but then again, community is a sacred idea. P.
29
“Community
does not develop naturally. It requires
tremendous struggle, and the answers to all the tough questions are in the
struggle. The struggle, though, is
essential because the children we teach will not care how much we know until
they know how much we care. P. 32
Flynn and
Innnes explain, “It seems that a school that is a true community is a group of
individuals who have learned to communicate honestly with one another; who have
built relationships that go deeper than their composures; and who have
developed some significant commitment to rejoice together, mourn together,
delight in each other, and make others’ conditions their own.” P. 33
“Every
student has a job to do. Students work
in groups on intellectually rigorous subject matter that is presented in the
context of real-life problems. The
teacher acts as a mentor to each of the groups and to each individual
students. Not only do teachers provide
frameworks, assistance, and support but by being involved with the students as
learners themselves and as learning coaches, they model higher-order thinking
processes and problem-solving skills.
The community of mind that students and teachers share has as its center
the importance of providing students with will make them resourceful lifelong
learners. P. 41
Teaching Presence
Published on Jan 28, 2013
Implications and Considerations for Community - A Checklist
Establishing a meaningful instructor presence
through the effective use of interactive technologies appears to be a
particularly powerful strategy for enhancing
To improve students’ performance and persistence in
their courses, research suggests that online instructors should focus on
providing targeted support for students to reach rigorous instructional goals.
Establishing a meaningful instructor presence through the effective use of
interactive technologies appears to be a particularly powerful strategy for
enhancing student outcomes.
As they design their online courses, instructors
should take into account the following observations:
- Students perceive instructors as responsive when they encourage student questions through multiple venues and reply to questions promptly.
- Students make distinctions between technology tools integrated into a course with a clear and valuable purpose and those with no purpose. Instructors can establish this sense of purpose by integrating the technology into regular course activities and by explicitly telling students when and how to use a technology-based resource.
- Infusing audio and video throughout lectures provides multiple ways for students to engage with content and creates a strong instructor presence.
- Live weekly chat sessions allow for personalized instruction and give students the opportunity to get to know their instructor. However, participation in live chats tends to be low.
- If instructors do not maintain an ongoing presence on discussion boards, students may feel that their participation is a waste of time.
- Students expect and appreciate detailed instructions for assignments and clear, actionable feedback in addition to numeric grades.
- Instructors can improve their online courses and engender a sense of caring by soliciting student feedback about the course and using that feedback to enhance the course.
- Instructors can establish a flexible schedule of chat sessions and require students to attend at least a minimum number.
- Giving students a clear rubric and incentives for discussion board postings helps to stimulate interaction that is more meaningful.
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