Building and Maintaining Online Learning Communities
Introduction
Selective online organizations and groups are uniquely positioned, aside from colleges and universities, to provide a wealth of individual or group learning experiences. While at the same time building community and a sense of belonging and self worth, which focus on both short and long term goals..
Case Studies
Flowing from "original intent" to build a "better Internet" what is collectively known as the Award Community, are now groups called AP indices. These groups are either rated or non rated. Rated groups seek improvement by offering their memberships levels of achievement (ratings).
The Site Fights (TSF) and similar online organizations promote family values, friendships which endure the test of time, spirited web site competition conducted with fairness, uniformity and a resolve that everyone is a winner. The Site Fights University (TSFU) is in the developmental stage which seeks to advance the needs, wants and desires of its membership. Other similar organizations are doing so likewise.
WebTech University was formed by community leaders and other interested persons shortly after GeoCities was purchased by Yahoo! Their long term goal was to continue helping authors build web sites by offering "basic building blocks" in a formal setting, with individual instruction.
"Moodle's" are a large and diverse user community with over 400,000 registered users, speaking over 75 languages in 193 countries.
Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open Source software package designed using sound pedagogical principles, to help educators create effective online learning communities.
Analytical Components
Vision: The word "videre" or "to see" seeks to create a picture of the future. The more tangible and immediate quality of the vision, the shape and direction of the organization will be more compelling. It also helps people set goals to bring the organization closer to the individual.
2 Respondents were encouraged to write in their own answers to the questions, rather than making any suggestions which might skew the results.