I’ve just been reading

Brown, R. E. (2001)

The process of community-building in distance learning classes

JALN Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5, 18-35.

I have problems with the beginning of the article which is very bitty – particularly when the author defines her terms. However, it is a useful grounded account of the growth of a learning community. She identifies several benefits of a virtual learning community:

Benefits of a virtual learning community

* Overcomes feelings of being alone
* Can affect student satisfaction, retention and learning
* Possibility of continuing when course is over (this benefit doesn’t seem to be taken up)
* Community as resource university can draw on it for fundraising, recruitment
* Students responsible for their own learning & the learning of others
* Gain confidence in ability to express self
* Gain confidence in ability to express with intelligent people
* Learn from and about others in class
* Feel connected to class members
* Feel accepted into the community
* Feel worthy of membership
* Pass on feelings of validation and acceptance to others
* Genuine sense of belonging
* Lifelong/continuing friends

I think what she’s focused on here are the community aspects and she has, perhaps, ignored what it means to be a learning community. There’s nothing about building knowledge together – about challenging each other’s views or about constructive criticism.