E-Learning Groups and Communities

by McConnell, David

• ISBN13: 9780335212811
• ISBN10: 0335212816
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Open University Press

Summary

How can we design networked e-learning courses to ensure students participate in them and engage in quality learning outcomes?What happens in an e-learning course that is designed to foster group work and a sense of 'community'?How can we research e-learning practice in ways that will enhance the processes of learning and teaching?This book outlines approaches to networked e-learning course design that are underpinned by a belief that students learn best in these contexts when they are organised in groups and communities. As such, the book is one of the first to provide a detailed analysis of what goes on in e-learning groups and communities.But how do students react to working in e-learning groups and communities? What determines their willingness to adopt new forms of learning in order to participate in these new courses? What actually happens in an e-learning community, and what impact does this have on students and tutors? This book examines these key questions through a variety of research approaches aimed at exploring the experience of e-learners as they participate in successful e-groups and communities. It also offers ways in which learning outcomes may be achieved in these communities and outlines the specific skills that students would develop through e-learning.E-learning Groups and Communities of Practice is essential reading for teachers, trainers, managers, researchers and students involved in e-learning courses as well as people interested in improving the quality of the learning experience.

Author Biography

David McConnell is Professor of Education in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	1	(6)
Designing for e-groups and communities: theoretical and conceptual issues	7	(22)
Design principles: a model	29	(32)
The experience of e-learning groups and communities	61	(29)
Assessing learning in e-groups and communities	90	(34)
Assessment: the view from inside	124	(21)
Problem-solving and action research in communities of practice	145	(26)
Group dynamics: a view from the inside	171	(17)
Understanding groups, communities and learning technologies	188	(9)
Bibliography	197	(10)
Index	207