Garrison, Anderson & Archer (2000), Dunlap and Lowenthal (2014), Parker and Herrington (2015), and Thormann and Fidalgo (2014) suggested to establish a successful online community for students; instructors need to prioritize the development of an environment that fosters collaboration, trust, and engagement while simultaneously promoting social presence.
To improve the online learning experience for students, instructors must foster social presence. This involves encouraging learners to engage with the online community socially and emotionally. To achieve this, instructors can use various techniques such as offering personalized feedback, providing detailed instructor bios, sending one-on-one emails, creating digital storytelling assignments, and using social networking tools like Twitter. By doing so, learners can feel more connected with their peers and the instructor, which can help to enhance their overall learning experience.
Any online platform must establish a welcoming and supportive learning environment. To accomplish this, the platform must be user-friendly, foster positive rapport amongst participants, promote a sense of belonging and purpose, and ensure that students feel safe and respected. To achieve engagement and community building, it is imperative to incorporate synchronous interactions, group assignments, model interactions, and thought-provoking questions. These elements will establish a sense of community and foster a positive learning experience for all participants.
Facilitate positive collaboration, knowledge sharing, and active learning among students by integrating group assignments, discussions, and projects that encourage them to work in unison towards shared objectives. This approach will help them develop essential teamwork skills, foster a sense of community, and enhance their learning outcomes.
Ensuring accessibility and providing support is paramount to students’ success in any academic or business setting. To achieve this, it is essential to be easily accessible to students and provide timely assistance whenever required. This can be accomplished by responding promptly to inquiries, offering guidance and direction, and facilitating connections between students and instructors and among peers, thereby fostering a sense of community that promotes collaboration and mutual support. Regular communication with students is critical to maintaining accessibility and ensuring they feel valued and supported. Creating a supportive and inclusive learning environment requires a conscious effort to embrace diversity and promote equity, which can be achieved by offering accommodations, providing resources, and addressing any potential barriers that may hinder accessibility. Ultimately, ensuring accessibility and support is essential to promoting student success and achieving the desired outcomes in any academic or business setting.
A critical aspect of online teaching is establishing clear student guidelines and expectations. This includes communicating course objectives, guidelines, and expectations in a clear and concise manner. A framework for interactions, norms for communication, and outlining responsibilities of both instructors and learners in fostering a supportive online community should be established to ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities. This can help to create a positive, productive, and supportive learning environment for all students.
In online courses, introductory assignments or ice-breaker activities can facilitate a sense of community among learners and encourage their participation in collaborative activities and discussions. These activities can help students overcome initial hesitations and become comfortable with each other, fostering a supportive learning environment. Educators can set the stage for a successful and engaging online learning experience by carefully selecting and implementing ice-breaker activities.
Collaborative pedagogical practices that involve students in teaching responsibilities can enhance their active participation in the learning community. An essential aspect of this approach is encouraging students to take ownership of their learning and shape the course content and activities. Empowering students to contribute actively to the learning process can promote their academic growth and cultivate a sense of responsibility toward their educational journey. Therefore, sharing teaching responsibilities with students can be a valuable practice that fosters a culture of inclusivity and student-centered learning.
In conclusion, establishing a thriving online community for nursing students hinges on cultivating an environment that prioritizes collaboration, trust, and engagement while bolstering social presence. Drawing from the research of Garrison, Anderson & Archer (2000), Dunlap and Lowenthal (2014), Parker and Herrington (2015), and Thormann and Fidalgo (2014), educators can implement a series of strategic steps. These include fostering social presence through personalized feedback and digital storytelling, creating a welcoming platform conducive to positive interaction, facilitating collaboration and active learning through group assignments, ensuring accessibility and support for all participants, setting clear guidelines and expectations, incorporating ice-breaker activities to build community, and empowering students through shared teaching responsibilities. By adhering to these principles, educators can create an online learning environment that supports academic growth and fosters a sense of belonging and mutual support among nursing students.
References:
Dunlap, J.C., & Lowenthal, P.R. (2014). The power of presence: Our quest for the right mix of social presence in online courses. In A.P. Mizell & A. A. Piña (Eds.) Real life distance education: Case studies in practice . Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Retrieved from http://patricklowenthal.com/publications/The_power_of_presence–our_quest_for_the_right_mix_of_social_presence_in_online_courses.pdf
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education , 2(2-3), 87-105.
Parker, J., & Herrington, J. (2015). Setting the climate in an authentic online community of learning. Australia Association for Research in Education Conference , 1-12. Retrieved from “https://www.aare.edu.au/data/2015_Conference/Full_papers/140_Jenni_Parker.pdf”
Thormann, J., & Fidalgo, P. (2014). Guidelines for online course moderation and community building from a student’s perspective. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching , 10 (3), 374. Retrieved from “http://jolt.merlot.org/vol10no3/Thorman_0914.pdf”
