Facilitating the Development of a Learning Community in an Online Graduate Program

This case study analyzed how an online learning community developed among a cohort of 18 students in an instructional design and technology master’s degree program taught at a distance. Students’ reflections about the effectiveness of the program revealed that a community-centered approach to learning, a constructivist learning environment, and authentic assessment practices most supported community development. Positive interactions among community members facilitated by faculty contributed to community development, but did not correlate with academic achievement. Students ranked computer-mediated communication, which provided technological support for learning, and participation in critical discourses across multiple forums, as conditions highly conducive to community development.