Creating Community OnlineInspired by the 1997 report from a professor (Stephen Ruth) who had transformed his face-to-face course into an online version, Solloway and Harris decided to convert their Educational Ideas course to an online format. (The article can be found at http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/erm99021.html.) In contrast with the Ruth class, the Solloway and Harris class was a doctoral level required course examining diverse educational philosophies and practices. Since the class only met on-campus three times a semester, it was vital important that the community be created via the online methods. Solloway and Harris decided on a "non-interference" policy, meaning that they did not participate in the discussions. Unfortunately, they found that this approach was not as successful as they had hoped. As Solloway and Harris concluded, it is not enough to have a hands-off approach and let the community coalesce. When they took a more reassuring and active role via email and telephone, they found that the bulletin board postings became more thoughtful. They also found that they needed to address technical concerns as well as intellectual ones for the course to be a success. They found that in order to create a community online, they need to set aside time to address student technical concerns as well as intellectual concerns. They also recommend early scaffolding that can be removed as students get more accustomed to the online environment and the community starts to develop. Other resources for instructors who wish to encourage online collaboration and communication:
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