Building an online academic learning community among undergraduate students

• Published in: Distance education Vol. 36; no. 1; pp. 115 - 128
• Main Author: Nye, Adele
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne Routledge 02.01.2015; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Australia; Bachelors Degrees; College Faculty; College students; Communities of Practice; Distance Education; Distance learning; Foreign Countries; Futures (of Society); Higher education; Interdisciplinary Approach; Learner Engagement; Learning communities; Management Systems; Moodle (Learning management system); Online Courses; Online education; Online learners; online learning; Student Attitudes; Student engagement; Student participation; Undergraduate Students; Australia
• ISSN: 0158-7919; 1475-0198
• DOI: 10.1080/01587919.2015.1019969

Online learning communities are frequently created for higher education students; however, these are most often designed to cater to a particular unit or subject. In an effort to strengthen the Bachelor of Arts course at the University of New England, the author sought to create an online space that would promote an interdisciplinary and collegial dialogue among their broad on- and off-campus student cohort. This paper examines the building of an academic community among a large and diverse group of undergraduate students on a Moodle platform. The paper tracks the development of the multi-layered portal from the initial stages of planning to the indicators of strong engagement taken up by students, and eventually leading to the creation of similar portals across the university. In examining this process this paper highlights the shared desire by distance education students and academics for authentic and personal higher education participation regardless of the students' location.