[iDC] virtual sense of community

[George Siemens]

Hi,

At University of Manitoba, we have been running a "virtual learning  
commons" (43 things meets myspace -  https://www.umanitoba.ca/ 
virtuallearningcommons/ ) since September. Feedback from students has  
been positive, dialogue has been decent, and as an organization we  
feel very cool and "with it" :).

We are researching the impact the virtual learning commons has on  
learner's "sense of community". Currently, we are situating our  
activities based on Sarason's psychological sense of community and  
McMillan and Chavis 4 point scale (membership, influence, integration  
and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection). At the  
institutional level, we are considering Boyer's six characteristics  
of university community (purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring,  
celebrative).

A gap exists, however, in how these concepts translate to online  
environments. The questions I have to the list: How do you define a  
virtual sense of community? What research supports a parallel sense  
of community online as with f2f spaces?

George


www.elearnspace.org
www.connectivism.ca
www.knowingknowledge.com