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  Overcoming Problems in Creating Online Communities


Problems in Creating Online Communities


Students are in a "coerced" situation--hard to create community in a class that is graded.

In a non-graded course, whether for students or teachers, there may be lack of interest, time, priority, etc., so it has to be very motivating.

Students, especially, want to write just to you--not to the list

How do you meld newbies and experts into a working community?

Flaming

Time zone differences

Fear of making mistakes

Solutions in Creating Online Communities


MOTIVATE   MOTIVATE   MOTIVATE


Have a purpose, a target audience
    For examples, see: REO, Academic Writing, and Webheads

Get to know each other -- intros, welcomes, photos
    See for example the interactive member map for the Webheads and their Introductions page

Have a place to meet synchronously as well as an asynchronous list or BB
    See, for example, Tapped In, Yahoo!Messenger, LearningTimes, etc.

Mentoring and tutoring
    Get the experts engaged in helping the newbies
    Think of yourself as a mentor, rather than the sage on the stage

Never let a question go unanswered:
    Repeat, relate, research, point to
    Ask the "experts" to help in answering
    Have someone cover the group when you are away

Unflagging courtesy -- there are no dumb questions or dumb actions!
    Create a no-flame zone (see Netiquette).
    Thank people for contributions and effort

Archive the community --
   Keep a record of resources, create Web pages with chat logs (add photos),
   make summaries of discussions on a regular basis

Use group features that demand responses
    polls
    database

Plan projects together --

With students:
  Discuss with them the need for independent learning and the reasons for group learning--get them to help plan the events and projects

With teachers:
   Run mini-courses over a specific period of time to induct new members (see Learning with Computers)

With students or teachers:
   Online and land presentations, voice and video chats
   As in land classes, group-based projects, research, and study are very motivating


Have F.U.N. (Frivolous Unplanned Nonsense) --
    For example, create a drawing space with Groupboard where students can draw collaboratively.
    Also see Sus's April Fool's Webpage



   Many thanks to fellow Webheads for their observations and comments on this topic over the year! If you have an addition, please write me at (copy and paste): ehansonsmi@yahoo.com.  

copyright Dr. Elizabeth Hanson-Smith, Computers for Education, last updated 21 April 2013

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