Abstract

The purpose of this study was to inform other science instructors and to determine what best practices in online learning are effective in developing a sense of community and support, through quality learner to learner, and learner to instructor interactions in an asynchronous, graduate biology course. An often-stated fact of e-learning is that there will be a lack of the interpersonal interaction that would normally develop and support learning in the traditional, in-person classroom. It is often taken for granted that the online student is sacrificing the development of a learning community for the opportunity to have flexibility in time, place, and institutional access. However, what if community can be implemented with purposeful use of technology and pedagogy? What tools and techniques would engage students in a sense of human connection and community? This study attempted to gain the students’ perspective on these interventions and whether the students gained value from them.

Citation

Gentry, P. (2023). Developing a Sense of Community in an Online Graduate Biology Course. In G. Marks (Ed.), Proceedings of International Journal on E-Learning 2023 (pp. 5-21). Waynesville, NC USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved October 4, 2023 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/220406/.

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