Enhancing Students' Sense of Community in Online Environments

Authors

Yunfei Du

University of North Texas

College of Information, Department of Library and Information Sciences

Email: ydu@unt.edu

This poster session presents an information use model on how Wimba and Scond Life can

facilitate collaborative platforms for users to build sense of communities in distance learning, and

to extend their real life experience into virtual learning environments.

Introduction

Web-based distance education, or online learning, provides a practical and sound approach to

recruit and retain high quality library and information science students. Online programs are

realistic solutions to most librarians and information professionals to further education while

practice at local information agencies. However, some students might find difficulty in adjusting

to online learning environments when they feel isolated from campuses hundreds of miles away.

Thus, an essential ingredient to the success of distance learning programs is the ability to build

the sense of community (The Sloan Consortium, 2008). In recent years educational institutes are

using Wimba live classrooms to provide synchronous communications with audio and visual-

based interactions between students and instructors (Reyes, 2008). Some educators began using

3D multiple user virtual environments such as Second Life in distance education (Luo & Kemp,

2008; Kemp, 2008). Communication tools such as Second Life and Wimba can serve as part of

personal information infrastructure (Marchinini, 1995) to facilitate learning in real world

environments, and student’s sense of community may be enhanced since learning takes place in

game-playing environments, where visual, auditory, and kinesthetic experiences are engaged.

Significance

While many online classes have been delivered successfully through text-based discussion boards

in WebCT/Blackboard, little is known how audio/visual-based Wimba Live classroom and 3D

Second Life (SL) virtual classrooms can enhance student collaboration and sense of community,

particularly on how a student’s experience at virtual environment can influence their real life

performance. The goal of this project is to identify methods to enhance students’ learning

effectiveness in virtual environment through carbon neutral approaches, particularly by

examining Wimba live classroom and Second Life virtual environment. Specifically, the project

intended to conceptualize a information use model for online instruction using Wimba, Second

Life, as well as traditional discussion boards.

This project will answer the follow research questions:

1. To what extend do students have different sense of community in Wimba Live classroom and

Second Life virtual environment?

2. Can students’ sense of community change over the time as a result of the information use of

Wimba and Second Life communication tools?

 

Methodology

Nine graduate students from a southwest state university participated in this experimental study

in Spring 2009. Students were given 15-minute lecture and live demo on a SL classroom and

then they filled out a pre-test questionnaire on their acceptance of such learning environment.

The survey demonstrated high reliability in previous studies by the author. Students meet in a

regular basis at the computer lab. They gathered regularly to complete learning tasks using

Wimba and SL learning tool. Wimba tool is integrated into local Blackboard learning

management system and Second Life was installed at classroom workstations. After three

classes meetings students completed a post-test survey on their acceptance of the learning

environment and reported their collaboration and sense of community. Class observation and

qualitative feedback was collected and was used as data source to build a conceptual model

describing how students’ learning experience can be transferred from virtual environment to real

life experience.

Conclusions

This pilot study presented an information use model on how Wimba and SL can facilitate

collaborative platforms for users to build sense of communities in distance learning, and to

extend their real life experience into virtual learning environments. Both Wimba and 3D SL

learning environments provides effective new communication tools for LIS educators to design

interactive course modules and better facilitate students’ information needs. Second Life as an

educational tool is still at its initial stage and more research studies are needed.

References

Kemp, J. (2008). Avatar in the classroom: Teaching the nation’s first MLIS class in Second Life. In

L. Bell and R. B. Trueman (Eds.), Virtual world, real libraries: Librarians and educations in Second

Life and other multi-user virtual environments (pp. 199-205). Medford: NJ: Information Today.

Luo, L., & Kemp, J. (2008). Second Life: Exploring the immersive instructional venue for library

and information science education. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 49

(3), 147-166.

Marchionini, G. (1995). The continuing evolution of information seeking. In Information seeking in

electronic environments. New York: Cambridge University Press.

Reyes, M. E. (2008). The WIMBA experience: Technology in the Rio Grande Valley. First Monday

13 (5). Accessed May 25, 2009 from

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2081/1958

The Sloan Consortium (2008). NASULGC-Sloan National Commission on oOnline learning

benchmarking study: Preliminary findings. Accessed May 25, 2009 from

http://www.sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/nasulgc_prelim