Building Community in Web-based Learning Environments: Strategies and Techniques

Janette R. Hill, Assistant Professor, Instructional Technology, University of Georgia, 604 Aderhold Hall, Athens, GA, 30602, USA. Email: janette@coe.uga.edu

Keywords

Community building, learning, post-secondary/higher education, strategies and techniques, teaching, Web-based instruction, World Wide Web.

Abstract

The Web has received widespread acceptance and use for creating and supporting learning activities across disciplines within higher education. However, satisfaction with the Web for purposes of learning has not been as strong as proponents may have hoped. Creating a community for supporting learners is one strategy that has been recommended for increasing satisfaction. The designer and/or instructor of a course can have the goal (i.e., intent) of creating a learning community, but may not have a clear idea of how to make this happen. Identifying successful strategies and techniques for enabling community to develop is a critical step toward making the goal a reality. The purpose of this paper is to present several strategies and techniques that have proven successful for community building in Web-based learning environments.