Being successful in an online program starts with the building of a learning community. Online learning can be completely different from traditional face-to-face learning. In online learning, the students are in charge of their learning and the course instructors are the facilitators. Students that are not accustom to online learning can find themselves in a state of isolation or loneliness. That's where online communities come into play.
The learning community impacts student learning and satisfaction with the online course. The learning community acts as a support system for the learners. "The power of the learning communities is learner-to-learner engagement. The goal is a sense of co-created knowledge and meaning." (Palloff, Pratt Online Learning Communities) Once the feeling of community is established in the course students can excel and the satisfaction with the online course goes up.
In order for an online community to be successful the essential elements of building a online community has to be present. The essential elements of an online community are course navigation, course atmosphere, and the instructor's role as a facilitator.
The course need to be easy to navigate and user friendly for any student regardless of online learning experience. The atmosphere of the course should be welcoming and friendly. Dr. Palloff gave several suggestions on how to make the course user friendly. She suggest using naming conventions, emoticons, explanation points, and giving the student lounge a catchy name so students will feel comfort utilizing the lounge to talk. Finally, the instructor's role as a facilitator is to set the tone of the course. The facilitator has to provide support for the students and lead by example.
Online communities can be sustained by the instructor being supportive and encouraging the students, students establishing a relationship with each other, and maintain the importance of students and facilitators are equal partners. Community building equals effective online instruction.
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