, Jane Livingston

Building Community in a Blended Course:

How to Build It and How Long Does It Take?

Building Community in a Blended Course:

How to Build It and How Long Does It Take?

Jane LivingstonYale University

Jane LivingstonYale University

Copyright Jane Livingston, 2006 This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

, Jane Livingston

AgendaAgenda

1. Assumption: Community = Good2. So what is the problem?3. Community building and review of

scholarship4. Lifecycle of a single course5. What can you do and when?6. Role of the instructor7. Caveats

1. Assumption: Community = Good2. So what is the problem?3. Community building and review of

scholarship4. Lifecycle of a single course5. What can you do and when?6. Role of the instructor7. Caveats

, Jane Livingston

A Rose by Any Other Name… Schools of Online Community Building

A Rose by Any Other Name… Schools of Online Community Building • Community of Inquiry• Community of Practice• Action-based Learning• Problem-based Learning• Virtual Community• Learning Communities

• Community of Inquiry• Community of Practice• Action-based Learning• Problem-based Learning• Virtual Community• Learning Communities

, Jane Livingston

Why is Community Good?Why is Community Good?• Community interaction creates

tension and discourse• Discourse leads to knowledge

construction

• Community interaction creates tension and discourse

• Discourse leads to knowledge construction

, Jane Livingston

Pitfalls and ImpedimentsPitfalls and Impediments• Social interaction is most easily

accomplished face to face (F2F)• Community formation depends on

individuals• Group Belonging/Identity creation

can be encouraged, but ultimately is VOLUNTARY

• Social interaction is most easily accomplished face to face (F2F)

• Community formation depends on individuals

• Group Belonging/Identity creation can be encouraged, but ultimately is VOLUNTARY

, Jane Livingston

Community IngredientsCommunity Ingredients

• Shared purpose--Sense of community identity

• Social framework for interaction• identity formation for individuals• Time to develop

• Shared purpose--Sense of community identity

• Social framework for interaction• identity formation for individuals• Time to develop

, Jane Livingston

Educational Environments

and Community Building

Educational Environments

and Community Building• Three Tiers• Face to Face• Blended• Purely distance/online

• Three Tiers• Face to Face• Blended• Purely distance/online

Community is necessary but develops more “naturally”

Community development must be encouraged and managed by the instructor

, Jane Livingston

Instructor effort required to build community

Dependence on technology to sustain community

Continuum of Mediation Models for LearningContinuum of Mediation Models for Learning

F2F

Ble

nded

Dis

tanc

e

, Jane Livingston

Community Formation ChallengesCommunity Formation Challenges• In a traditional Face to Face environment,

community is assumed and follows an understood pattern.

• In a Blended environment, getting students to use the online component is complicated. Students think “showing up” is enough.

• In Distance course, building community online is an imperative… non-negotiable. Therefore, students engage willingly.

• In a traditional Face to Face environment, community is assumed and follows an understood pattern.

• In a Blended environment, getting students to use the online component is complicated. Students think “showing up” is enough.

• In Distance course, building community online is an imperative… non-negotiable. Therefore, students engage willingly.

, Jane Livingston

So what is the problem?So what is the problem?

• Time.• Time.

, Jane Livingston

Voluntary or Moderated? Voluntary or Moderated?

Voluntary• Political or social

blogging

• Professional or Organizational Learning Communities

• Disciplinary COPs

Voluntary• Political or social

blogging

• Professional or Organizational Learning Communities

• Disciplinary COPs

Moderated/Facilitated• Knowledge Management

• Formal educational courses and programs

• Educationally-driven Communities of Inquiry

Moderated/Facilitated• Knowledge Management

• Formal educational courses and programs

• Educationally-driven Communities of Inquiry

, Jane Livingston

Phases in Active Construction of KnowledgePhases in Active Construction of Knowledge

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Share & Compare Information

Finding dissonance or points of inconsistency

Negotiation of Meaning: Finding commonality or overlap of conflicting concepts

Test, modify, synthesize the tentative construction

Summarizing or articulating a conclusion

A good student in a good course will experience these phases … But it depends on interaction with

others: Community

(Gunawardena in Kanuka & Anderson, 1998)

, Jane Livingston

Community of Inquiry ModelCommunity of Inquiry Model

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000)

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000)

SOCIAL PRESENCE

COGNITIVE PRESENCE

TEACHING PRESENCE(Structure/Process)

SupportingDiscourse

Selecting Content

Setting Climate

EDUCATIONALEXPERIENCE

Communication Medium

, Jane Livingston

Etienne Wenger’s ModelEtienne Wenger’s Model

Time of a single course

, Jane Livingston

Gilly Salmon’s 5 Step ModelGilly Salmon’s 5 Step Model

, Jane Livingston

Ruth Brown on 3 Levels of CommunityRuth Brown on 3 Levels of Community1. Online Acquaintanceship2. Community Conferment3. Camaraderie

1. Online Acquaintanceship2. Community Conferment3. Camaraderie

, Jane Livingston

Ruth Brown on TimeRuth Brown on Time

Time is an “intervening condition.”• Time to devote to class• Time required to master

technology• Camaraderie is based on long-term

relationships• Time Triangles = Amount of time

required to get up to speed

Time is an “intervening condition.”• Time to devote to class• Time required to master

technology• Camaraderie is based on long-term

relationships• Time Triangles = Amount of time

required to get up to speed

, Jane Livingston

Concept of Brown’s Time TriangleConcept of Brown’s Time Triangle

TechnologyTechnology

Teaching MethodTeaching Method

Course ContentCourse Content

Building Community

Building Community

Proportional amount of time it takes for a new student to get up to speed.

, Jane Livingston

Concept of Brown’s Time TriangleConcept of Brown’s Time Triangle

TechnologyTechnology

Course ContentCourse Content

Building Community

Building Community

Veteran Student

Teaching

Method

, Jane Livingston

What about a program?What about a program?

• Community development is a long-term commitment.

• Building student communities over two, three or four courses will yield more consistent results

• Then Wenger’s model maps more nicely to education…

• Community development is a long-term commitment.

• Building student communities over two, three or four courses will yield more consistent results

• Then Wenger’s model maps more nicely to education…

, Jane Livingston

Etienne Wenger’s ModelEtienne Wenger’s Model

Time of a single course

Semester 2

Semester3

Semester 4

Graduate

, Jane Livingston

What about the Course lifecycle?What about the Course lifecycle?• 10-14 weeks• (at least)Two weeks of ramp up --

technology, getting to know each other, teaching methodology, etc.)

• What about the range of technological and social readiness?

• How do you manage expectations?

• 10-14 weeks• (at least)Two weeks of ramp up --

technology, getting to know each other, teaching methodology, etc.)

• What about the range of technological and social readiness?

• How do you manage expectations?

, Jane Livingston

Community Course LifecycleCommunity Course Lifecycle

, Jane Livingston

Instructor Effort for Community Development During a Course

Instructor Effort for Community Development During a Course

, Jane Livingston

Preparing before the class beginsPreparing before the class begins• Before course begins:• Prepare students to join community• Ask each to write a bio/descriptive

statement, post it and read everyone else’s

• Consider using one of Gilly Salmon’s e-tivities(http://www.atimod.com/e-tivities/)

• Before course begins:• Prepare students to join community• Ask each to write a bio/descriptive

statement, post it and read everyone else’s

• Consider using one of Gilly Salmon’s e-tivities(http://www.atimod.com/e-tivities/)

, Jane Livingston

Essential ingredientsEssential ingredients

First two weeks Of a course are critical

You must:

•Create Opportunity•Encourage •Integrate

, Jane Livingston

Goals for the instructorGoals for the instructor

• Create illusion of desire--Make the students want to participate.

• Investigate, research, discover their interests: Find what excites them and then leverage it as a e-tivity tool

• Thank everyone for participating. Publicly and privately--both matter.

• Create illusion of desire--Make the students want to participate.

• Investigate, research, discover their interests: Find what excites them and then leverage it as a e-tivity tool

• Thank everyone for participating. Publicly and privately--both matter.

, Jane Livingston

Role of the Instructor(Communal Architect1)Role of the Instructor(Communal Architect1)• Building Community is like an

“Arranged Marriage.” Learners are “pushed, not pulled”2 into community relationship.

• Instructor participation can be primarily as a contributor or as mediator or somewhere in between.

• Building Community is like an “Arranged Marriage.” Learners are “pushed, not pulled”2 into community relationship.

• Instructor participation can be primarily as a contributor or as mediator or somewhere in between. 1 Woods and Ebersole, 2003.

2 Conrad, 2002.

, Jane Livingston

ReferencesReferences

Anderson, T. and Kanuka, H. (1998) Online Social Interchange, Discord and Knowledge Construction. Journal of Distance Education, 13(1).

Brown, Ruth E. (2001) The Process of Community Building in Distance Learning Classes. JALN Vol.5(2).

Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Inhibition Integrity and Etiquette among online learners: the art of Niceness. Journal of Distance Education, 23(2).

Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Deep in the Hearts of Learners: Insights into the Nature of Online Community. Journal of Distance Education, 17(1).

Garber, Debbie. (2004) Growing Virtual Communities. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. August 2004.

Garrison, D.R and W. Archer. (2000) A Transactional Perspective on Teaching and Learning: A Framework for adults and higher education. Amsterdam: Pergamon.

Haythornthwaite, Caroline, Michelle M. Kazmer, Jennifer Robbins and Susan Shoemaker. (2000) Community Development among Distance Learners: Temporal and Technological Dimensions. JCMC 6(1).

Salmon, G. (2000). E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.Wenger, Etienne. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning Meaning and Identity New York:

Cambridge University Press.Woods, Robert; Ebersole, Samuel. (2003). Becoming a "communal architect" in the online

classroom - integrating cognitive and affective learning for maximum effect in web-based learning. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6(1).

Anderson, T. and Kanuka, H. (1998) Online Social Interchange, Discord and Knowledge Construction. Journal of Distance Education, 13(1).

Brown, Ruth E. (2001) The Process of Community Building in Distance Learning Classes. JALN Vol.5(2).

Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Inhibition Integrity and Etiquette among online learners: the art of Niceness. Journal of Distance Education, 23(2).

Conrad, Dianne. (2002) Deep in the Hearts of Learners: Insights into the Nature of Online Community. Journal of Distance Education, 17(1).

Garber, Debbie. (2004) Growing Virtual Communities. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. August 2004.

Garrison, D.R and W. Archer. (2000) A Transactional Perspective on Teaching and Learning: A Framework for adults and higher education. Amsterdam: Pergamon.

Haythornthwaite, Caroline, Michelle M. Kazmer, Jennifer Robbins and Susan Shoemaker. (2000) Community Development among Distance Learners: Temporal and Technological Dimensions. JCMC 6(1).

Salmon, G. (2000). E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.Wenger, Etienne. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning Meaning and Identity New York:

Cambridge University Press.Woods, Robert; Ebersole, Samuel. (2003). Becoming a "communal architect" in the online

classroom - integrating cognitive and affective learning for maximum effect in web-based learning. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6(1).

, Jane Livingston

Thank You…Thank You…

• Questions? Comments?

Jane LivingstonJane.livingston@yale.edu

• Questions? Comments?

Jane LivingstonJane.livingston@yale.edu