Building a learning community on‐line: towards socio‐academic interaction

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Abstract
This paper reports the findings of a research project, conducted within the Division of Education at the University of Sheffield, which used computer‐mediated communication (CMC) to support postgraduate students in distance‐education contexts. Following Moore's theory of transactional distance, the project aimed to identify and explore the ways in which CMC may reduce transactional distance by mediating the academic and social dialogue between distance‐education students and their tutors. In particular, we were interested in (a) the extent to which a ‘community’ of learners could be constructed within an on‐line environment and (b) the socio‐academic nature of such a community. Our research findings indicate that CMC can support the construction of an on‐line learning community capable of providing significant social and academic support to students. We suggest, however, that the construction of an effective on‐line learning community may depend upon the provision of adequate opportunities for socio‐emotional discourse and the establishment of co‐operative frameworks for learning. Concepts of democratization and equalization of learning are discussed with reference to the structure (for example, group size) and process (for example, the nature and timing of on‐line events) of the on‐line community.

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