The light version of this module is designed to assist you in building community and student engagement in your online course.                                    

Please note: Unless you specifically desire our feedback, you will not need to update us of your progress or share back results with the cohort. However, if you would like to experience what sharing with an online cohort looks like, your contributions are essential to creating that spirit.

If you want to delve in deeper into the topic, you can access the comprehensive module with additional activities and resources here.

Instructions:

• Read through the guiding questions.
  • Section 1: What is community building?
    • Read about a theoretical model that provides a rationale for community building: Community of Inquiry model
    • Watch a short video
  • Section 2: Why should we care about building community?
    • Read a blogpost
  • Section 3: How can we build community in our online classrooms?
    • Watch a short video about strategies for building community
    • Read through some community building tips
  • Section 4: Extend your learning with curated links
  • Section 5: Sample activity

Time: Depending on your level of engagement, this page should take you about 2-3 hours.

Guiding questions:

Section 1: What is community building online? 

Before considering the question of why community building is important in online teaching and learning contexts, we need to define what we mean by learning community. We generally feel that we’re a part of a community when we feel connected to others who share some of our interests or values. In higher education, robust learning communities are formed when they include the elements of learning, belonging, and connectedness.

One the most influential frameworks for considering community building in online teaching and learning is the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. Take a look at the infographic below to learn about each presence. Click on the + signs for more information:

Section 2: Why should we build community in online courses?

Why should professors care about creating this sense of community in their classrooms? Building community in your online course…

• increases student retention (Tinto, 1997),
• improves student learning and satisfaction (Liu et al., 2007; Yuan & Kim, 2014).
• improves student engagement  (Wladis et al., 2017; Di Ramio & Wolverton, 2006; Liu et al., 2007; Vesley, et al., 2007; Anderson, 2017).

Reading: Read the following blog post by Catherine Denial on the Pedagogy of Kindness where she talks about how her own teaching philosophy has changed over the course of her career. (20 – 30 minutes)

Section 3: How can I build community online?

In this section, you will be asked to watch a video and review strategies in an infographic.

Watch this interview (interactive video — 20 minutes) where scholar and online educator, Dr. Maha Bali, describes her concept of intentionally equitable hospitality and discusses strategies for building community in online classrooms. You will be asked to answer questions at intervals throughout the video. As you watch  keep the guiding questions in mind:

Reflection:

 At this point, having read the articles, watched a couple of videos and examined infographics, what strategies resonate most with you and why? Have you tried any of these strategies in an online environment? Post your responses in our module discussion forum here [new tab].