Posted 2:07 PM by George Siemens
Journal of Asynchronous Learning Network has an excellent article on building communities online: PDF Version; HTM Version.

Quotes:
"Distance learning is an increasingly important aspect of higher education because it meets the needs of an expanding pool of nontraditional students who find education necessary for jobs in today’s information age. Unlike the industrial era when skills needed were relatively fixed, today education is needed to meet employers’ growing demand for continually evolving skills. Distance learning provides a convenient, flexible, manageable alternative for this developing segment of society."

"However, students in asynchronous distance classes work at computers miles apart at varying times of the day and night. This feeling of being alone is overcome when students join together in a community of learners who support one another. The process of forming a community of learners is an important issue in distance learning because it can affect student satisfaction, retention, and learning."

One of the most frequent complaints critics level at online learning is the lack of communication/collaboration that exists in this medium. I find this interesting, because the Internet is the fastest growing form of communication that exists today. Why do some view it as being ineffective for learning?

One reason is the poor design and thought that is sometimes placed in course creation. Students are often not considered until the course is ready to be piloted. Students should be factored into every aspect of course creation...collaborative and communication tools, group projects etc., should be thought of when designing resources...but, doing anything right, always takes more time and effort. It is more difficult to design a community that engages learners (giving them a sense of belonging), than it is to rely on email/phone/FAX.

From what I have come across in online learning, I have not seen anything that comes as close to the classroom environment as a well-designed community...Here, collaboration (I'm starting to hate that word!!), communication, a sense of "belonging" all exist...