Bounded Community.

It is extremely important for online learners to be a part of the community because since they are not getting the same interaction with their peers in class, they need to get that interaction somehow. Learners obviously learn from their teachers, but it is equally important for them to learn from each other.

I have taken several distance learning classes, and the ones that I feel like I learn the most from are the ones that are more of a hybrid class where there are some in class components. If hybrid classes are not available then I believe making it a small portion of their grade to participate in these online discussions then it should be used.

I believe one technique that could be used to increase student involvement in these online classes would be a listserv. A listserv is the compilation of emails of the students in the class so that they can email each other their questions and email back their responses. I am currently involved in a listserv where I must participate in at least nine responses this quarter. It has been by far the best experience in online communication I’ve ever had.