Karen Jensen - Reflection

Karen Jensen
EDTEC 596
Fall 09

Article Reflection: Bounded Community: Designing and facilitating online learning communities in formal courses

It is important for online learners to be a part of community because it provides a social construct in which the students will learn the content, share ideas and perspectives, and work together to solve problems and/or complete projects. The formation of a learning community decreases the feelings of isolation that may occur in an e-learning environment. Finally, by learning to work cooperatively, these collaboration skills can be successfully implemented in the workplace, as well.

To establish and maintain an online community of learners, shared goals and rules of interaction must be developed together. These goals and rules should ensure a safe and nurturing environment. A positive community identity may be fostered by opportunities for collaborative work, within the boundaries of the aforementioned goals and rules. Opportunities for rotating leadership roles and knowledge sharing should be facilitated often by the teacher.