Building Online Learning Communities further explores the development of virtual classroom environments that foster a sense of community and empower students to take charge of their learning to successfully achieve learning outcomes. This is the second edition of the groundbreaking book by Rena Palloff and Keith Pratt and has been completely updated and expanded to include the most current information on effective online course development and delivery. A practical, hands-on guide, this resource is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses. The authors offer proven strategies for handling challenges that include: Engaging students in the formation of an online learning community. Establishing a sense of presence online. Maximizing participation. Developing effective courses that include collaboration and reflection. Assessing student performance. Written for faculty in any distance learning environment, this revised edition is based on the authors many years of work in faculty development for online teaching as well as their extensive personal experience as faculty in online distance education. Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt share insights designed to guide readers through the steps of online course design and delivery.

Written for faculty, instructors, and trainers in any distance learning environment, Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace shows how to create a virtual classroom environment that helps students excel academically, while fostering a sense of community. This practical, hands-on guide is filled with illustrative case studies, vignettes, and examples from a wide variety of successful online courses.

Applicable at every academic level and in any subject, the text offers practical guidelines that are based on effective, current theories, and the extensive online teaching experience of the author. The book details 21 effective designs with guidelines, strategies, examples, and tips to assist readers in designing their own Online Collaborative Learning Community regardless of grade level, or delivery system (online, face-to-face, or mixed).

Effective communication is essential in every organization, including educational institutions. Often, members of the online community work in isolation. Collaboration across varying disciplines and departments can promote unique professional development activities and create a stronger connection to the entire online community. Enriching Collaboration and Communication in Online Learning Communities is a critical scholarly publication that supports communication and collaboration in online settings by focusing on the ways all members of the educational institution can create community to foster personal and professional growth for all. The book takes an in-depth look at communication strategies and challenges including managing conflict, working effectively in virtual teams, critical thinking, intercultural and cross-cultural communication, and online leadership. It is ideal for faculty, teachers, administrators, principles, curriculum developers, professionals, researchers, and students.

Get a play-by-play guide to implementing PLC concepts. Each chapter begins with a story focused on a particular challenge. A follow-up analysis of the story identifies the good decisions or common mistakes made in relation to that particular scenario. The authors examine the research behind best practice and wrap up each chapter with recommendations and tools you can use in your school.

The chapters in this book provide a basis for thinking about the dynamics of Internet community building. The book will interest educators, psychologists, sociologists, and researchers in human-computer interaction.

This is the thoroughly revised second edition of one of the first books to provide an overview of how key aspects of university life - such as teaching, academic research, administration, management and course design - are being affected by digital and web-enabled technologies. More than three-quarters of the material has been revised and updated. Still further, three new chapters now address the following aspects: the virtual classroom, vicarious learning, and educational metadata. The main body of the text focuses on asynchronous collaboration by examining the following four key topics: principles, experiences, evaluation, and benefits. A timely and up-most important guide to all aspects of modern university education in the digital age.