Extracting the Essence of a Learning Community in an Online Graduate Program: How and Why Peer Connections and Collaboration Manifest and Matter in Meaningful Ways

As learning contexts emerge and transform within the realm of online graduate education, educators face the ongoing challenge of fostering interactive, learner-centered experiences, and there is a greater need to explore teaching and learning in their various modalities. Researchers and practitioners have increasingly highlighted the importance of developing a sense of community in online courses and programs. Learning communities offer a potential informal context for shared and collaborative learning among peers, helping students overcome feelings of isolation and positively impacting individual learning. Many questions remain, however, about ways to develop community in online higher education, and which facilitation strategies within the online learning environment are most effective and impactful. This qualitative study utilized a phenomenological research design with in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of a sample of doctoral alumni who had studied in a one-to-one online graduate program. The conceptual framework was based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, which highlights the significance of presence and transactional distance in the online environment. Research questions focused on participants’ perceptions of an online learning community and what they understood as the contributing factors to building and sustaining community and collaborative learning. Thematic analysis yielded nine themes, illustrating the richness and depth of the learning community experience, shedding light on how community develops and the resulting benefits that online graduate students derive. In the context of a rapid global adoption of online learning, this research underscores the need for community and collaboration throughout the doctoral process, offering a deep understanding of the student experience. The implication is that an instructor’s thoughtful facilitation will pave the way for the quality of the interaction and connections that contribute to community-building. The findings of this research will be valuable to educators in designing and implementing a more collaborative and interactive online learning environment, ultimately fostering peer connections, improved student engagement, deeper learning, and enhanced academic performance. This study was nominated for the AERA 2026 Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award in recognition of a collaborative research project that has a sustained and observable effect on contexts of practice.