[iDC] virtual sense of community
George Siemens
George_Siemens at umanitoba.ca
Mon Feb 19 11:27:55 EST 2007
Hi,
At University of Manitoba, we have been running a "virtual learning
commons" (43 things meets myspace - https://www.umanitoba.ca/
virtuallearningcommons/ ) since September. Feedback from students has
been positive, dialogue has been decent, and as an organization we
feel very cool and "with it" :).
We are researching the impact the virtual learning commons has on
learner's "sense of community". Currently, we are situating our
activities based on Sarason's psychological sense of community and
McMillan and Chavis 4 point scale (membership, influence, integration
and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection). At the
institutional level, we are considering Boyer's six characteristics
of university community (purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring,
celebrative).
A gap exists, however, in how these concepts translate to online
environments. The questions I have to the list: How do you define a
virtual sense of community? What research supports a parallel sense
of community online as with f2f spaces?
George
www.elearnspace.org
www.connectivism.ca
www.knowingknowledge.com
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