E-Learning Groups and Communities

Introduction

1 Designing for e-groups and communities: theoretical and conceptual Issues

2 Design principles: a model

3 The experience of e-learning groups and communities

4 Assessing learning in e-groups and communities

5 Assessment: the view from inside

6 Problem-solving and action research in communities of practice

7 Group dynamics: a view from the inside

8 Understanding groups, communities and learning technologies

Bibliography

Index

• How can we design networked e-learning courses to ensure students participate in them and engage in quality learning outcomes?
• What happens in an e-learning course that is designed to foster group work and a sense of ‘community’?
• How can we research e-learning practice in ways that will enhance the processes of learning and teaching?

This book outlines approaches to networked e-learning course design that are underpinned by a belief that students learn best in these contexts when they are organised in groups and communities. As such, the book is one of the first to provide a detailed analysis of what goes on in e-learning groups and communities.

But how do students react to working in e-learning groups and communities? What determines their willingness to adopt new forms of learning in order to participate in these new courses? What actually happens in an e-learning community, and what impact does this have on students and tutors? This book examines these key questions through a variety of research approaches aimed at exploring the experience of e-learners as they participate in successful e-groups and communities. It also offers ways in which learning outcomes may be achieved in these communities and outlines the specific skills that students would develop through e-learning.

E-learning Groups and Communities is essential reading for teachers, trainers, managers, researchers and students involved in e-learning courses as well as people interested in improving the quality of the learning experience.