In this session, we’ll review research about practices to implement during the first week of your blended or online course to set the tone for the entire term. We’ll focus on practical ideas to create a good learning environment, including building community, social presence, and “swift trust.”
There are certain practices to employ in classes– whether they be in person, blended, or online–that can set the tone for the entire term and may even have an effect on retention and student success if you can implement them starting the first week of class: building a learning community, building instructional social presence, and building “swift trust.” A review of the literature supported these practices.
When considering the importance of building a community of learners inside of a course, Sadera, Robertson, Song, and Midon (2009) found “a strong correlation between learner interaction and engagement, sense of community, and success in online learning” (p. 282). Boston et al. (2009) found that when students feel more a part of a learning community, they are retained at higher rates.
But what makes or helps to build a “learning community”? Vesely, Bloom, and Sherlock (2007) shared common elements of community in online learning that are cited often in the literature that included a sense of shared purpose, establishment and enforcement of rules/policies regarding community behavior, interaction among members, and a level of trust, respect and support among community members. To facilitate online community building, faculty should model the expected behaviors and interactions, encourage students, facilitate sharing and participating, and respond to student concerns in aid of creating an open environment (Vesely, Bloom, & Sherlock).
Studies have also found a strong relationship between better retention and success and an instructor’s social presence in a course. Boston et al. (2009) discussed that students’ positive opinions of online learning can be influenced by their feelings of being part of a true learning community, and these students are more likely to be retained. Ley and Gannon-Cook (2014) shared some practices that can increase an instructor’s social presence, as did York and Richardson (2012). However, Motteram and Gorrester (2005) discovered that students with other priorities (e.g., job, family) felt less need for their instructor’s social presence.
In addition to building a learning community and social presence within a course, Meyerson et al. (1996) introduced “swift trust” as a concept found within temporary groups or teams, and this can be applied to classes. “Swift trust” entails someone being willing to “suspend doubt” about whether others who are not known to them can be depended upon to help with a task at hand and will be beneficial. Additionally, the person(s) given this “swift trust” will generally be quite responsive. Swift trust applies to both the instructor AND other learners.
In this session, we’ll review research about practices to implement during the first week of your blended or online course to set the tone for the entire term, focus on practical ideas to create a good learning environment, including building community, social presence, and “swift trust.” Both "hits" and "misses" will be shared from the presenter's own experience, and copies of all materials shared in the presentation willbe posted on the OLC site for download. Participants will be asked to share their experiences, as well.
References
Boston, W., Diaz, S.R., Gibson, A., Ice, P., Richardson, J., & Swan, K. (2009). An exploration of the relationship between indicators of the community of inquiry framework and retention in online programs. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 13(3), 67-83.
Ley, K. and Gannon-Cook, R. (2014). Learner-valued interactions: Research into practice. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 15(1), 23-32. Retrieved from http://www.aect.org/pdf/proceedings13/2013/13_16.pdf
Meyerson, D., Weick, K. E., and Kramer, R. M. (1996). Swift trust and temporary systems. In R. M. Kramer and T. R. Tyler (Eds.) Trust in organizations. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA. 166-195.
Motteram, G., & Gorrester, G. (2005). Becoming an online distance learning: What can be learned from students’ experiences of induction to distance programmes? Distance Education, 26(3), 281-298.
Sadera, W. A., Robertson, J., Song, L., & Midon, M. N. (2009). The Role of Community in Online Learning Success. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 5(2), 277-284. Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no2/sadera_0609.pdf
Vesely, P., Bloom, L., & Sherlock, J. (2007). Key elements of building online community: Comparing faculty and student perceptions. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 3(3). Available online at http://jolt.merlot.org/vol3no3/vesely.htm
York, C.S. & Richardson, J.C. (2012). Interpersonal interaction in online learning: Experienced online instructors’ perceptions of influencing factors. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 16(4), 83—98. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main