An Analytical Review of the Literature on Online Learning Communities

1. An Analytical Review of the Literature
on Online Learning Communities
By Stacey Alexander
Education 6610, Memorial University
For Dr. Elizabeth Murphy
Friday, December 3rd
, 2010

2. Introduction
“development of a sense of
community among individuals in
[computer supported collaborative
learning] environments improves
learning objectives in such
environments”1

3. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
Included Excluded
Peer-reviewed journals Non-peer-reviewed journals
Educational technology
journals
Journals unrelated to
educational technology
Studies from 2004–2010 Studies older than 2004
Studies about social work
Studies about community
colleges

4. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
Country Study
Australia 1, 7
Canada 2, 4, 5, 8, 12
Denmark 11
Finland 10
Ireland 11
Israel 14
Taiwan 14
Turkey 2
UK 14
USA 3, 6, 13

5. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

6. Purpose of Studies
Purpose of Study Applicable Studies
Examine learners’ community 1, 4, 5, 13
Follow a community of learners
over a long period of time
4, 10, 12
Explore professional development
in communities
3, 7, 12
Study communities of practice 2, 9, 11, 14
Look at online communities 3, 6, 7, 9, 12, 15
Examine delivery models in
communities
6, 8, 11, 13

7. Participants
Participants Study
Undergraduate university
students
15
Graduate university students 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 15
Postgraduate university
students
1, 3, 6, 10
Working teachers/online
community members
3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13
Working non-teachers/online
community members
9

8. Data Collection
Data Collection Studies
Survey/questionnaire 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14
Evaluation 13
Online forum/message transcripts 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 15
Interview 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14
Field notes 3
Reflective journal 6
Documentation 9
Focus group 4
Direct observation 6
Meetings 9

9. Data Analysis

10. Findings

11. Findings

12. Findings

13. Findings

14. Findings

15. Findings

16. Findings

17. Findings

18. Findings

19. Role of Instructors

20. Sense of Community

21. Success Factors

22. Professional Practice

23. Unexpected Findings

24. Conclusion

25. Implications

26. Works Cited
Abedin, B., Daneshgar, F., & D’Ambra, J. (2010). Underlying factors of
sense of community in asynchronous computer supported
collaborative learning environments. MERLOT Journal of Online
Learning and Teaching, 6(3), 585–596. Retrieved September 17, 2010,
from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol6no3/abedin_0910.pdf.
Akyol, Z., Garrison, D., & Ozden, M. (2009). Online and blended
communities of inquiry: Exploring the developmental and perceptional
differences. International Review of Research in Open and Distance
Learning, 10(6), pp. 65–83. Retrieved September 28, 2010, from
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/765/1463.
Carboni, L., & Riggsbee, J. (2007). “We needed support and it was out
there:” Building an online learning community with cooperating
teachers. Electronic Journal for the Integration of Technology in
Education (EJITE), 6, 109–122. Retrieved September 17, 2010, from
http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume6/Carboni.pdf.
1.
2.
3.

27. Works Cited
Conrad, D. (2005). Building and maintaining community in cohort-based
online learning. Journal of Distance Education, 20(1), 1–20. Retrieved
September 17, 2010, from
http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/78/59.
Conrad, D. (2008). From community to community of practice: Exploring
the connection of online learners to informal learning in the workplace.
American Journal of Distance Education, 22(1), 3–23. Retrieved
September 19, 2010, from doi: 10.1080/08923640701713414.
Correia, A., & Davis, N. (2008). Intersecting communities of practice in
distance education: The program team and the online course
community. Distance Education, 29(3), 289–306. Retrieved September
18, 2010, from doi: 10.1080/01587910802395813.
4.
5.
6.

28. Works Cited
Duncan-Howell, J. (2010). Teachers making connections: Online
communities as a source of professional learning. British Journal of
Educational Technology, 41(2), 324–340. Retrieved September 18,
2010, from doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00953.x.
Guilar, J., & Loring, A. (2008). Dialogue and community in online learning:
Lessons from Royal Roads University. Journal of Distance Education,
22(3), 19–40. Retrieved September 19, 2010, from
http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/52/714.
Kok, A (2010). Demystifying virtual communities of practice: A case study
of IBM. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE, 11(3), 119–
128. Retrieved September 17, 2010, from
http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde39/pdf/article_5.pdf.
7.
8.
9.

29. Works Cited
Mylläri, J., Åhlberg, M., & Dillon, P. (2010). The dynamics of an online
knowledge building community: A 5-year longitudinal study. British
Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 365–387. Retrieved
September 29, 2010, from doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00972.x.
Ó Murchú, D., & Sorensen, E. (2004). Online master communities of
practice: Collaborative learning in an intercultural perspective.
European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning, Vol. 2004/I.
Retrieved September 28, 2010, from
http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/2004/Identifying_COPs.html.
Riverin, S., & Stacey, E. (2008). Sustaining an online community of practice:
A case study. Journal of Distance Education, 22(2), 43–58. Retrieved
September 19, 2010, from
http://www.jofde.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/3/533.
10.
11.
12.

30. Rovai, A., & Jordan, H. (2004). Blended learning and sense of community:
A comparative analysis with traditional and fully online graduate
courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distance
Learning, 5(2). Retrieved September 17, 2010, from
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/192/795.
Shacham, M., & Od-Cohen, Y. (2009). Rethinking PhD learning
incorporating communities of practice. Innovations in Education and
Teaching International, 46(3), 279–292. Retrieved September 28,
2010, from doi: 10.1080/14703290903069019.
Yeh, Y. (2010). Analyzing online behaviors, roles, and learning
communities via online discussions. Journal of Educational Technology
& Society, 13(1), 140–151. Retrieved October 23, 2010, from
http://www.ifets.info/journals/13_1/14.pdf.
Works Cited
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