Thursday, April 14, 2016

Creating Community in an Online Grad program



My first experience in graduate school had some distinct differences from this online experience. The first program required my physical presence, and with that presence came the joy of meeting new friends and colleagues. Some of those friends I still have today. I would see the same people in the book store that I saw in class and waiting for lunch and out of the close physical contact came new friends and a community. There was comfort in that community. I knew who could show me the painting technique that the professor had demonstrated, but that I had not fully understood, by stopping by the Scene Shop in the late afternoon. I knew if I went for a bagel there was a good chance that I could visit with a professor and get a question clarified. There were spots where students congregated and I learned which place suited which need I had at any given time. These were my friends, my community.

I know where to get instructions that the professors leave online.  But how do we build community online? 

There are some assignments that seem to build community better than others. Most of the assignments require some online interaction and they certainly build communication skills. But I do not always walk away feeling I have community or friendship from team events. And yet I feel I have at least one person that I would say is a good friend from the program and numerous friendships that are building, so clearly even online friendship and community are possible. In my case, building the start of my little community has started the way it did with my last graduate experience. Stopping during assignments to say " How is it going?" "Did you find that (whatever it is) to be difficult too?" and "Can you help me with this, I am lost."

Community online is built the way all community is built, one interaction at a time. And just like real life, we may not end up being friends with everyone we meet, but we won't know till we put the time in to see. 


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7 comments:

  1. Mark Van DykeApril 14, 2016 at 6:13 PM

    Thanks for a very thought-provoking post, Janice. I agree that teaching and learning in an online setting can seem much more "sterile" and impersonal than face-to-face settings. I feel strongly, however, that faculty members and students in our graduate classes should work together to personalize our courses through group work, interactive assignments, tools that enable audio and visual communication, etc.

    If you were teaching in our master's program at Marist, what would you do to address some of the concerns that you expressed in you post? I would ask the same question of your teammates and blog readers.

    Mark

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    1. UnknownApril 14, 2016 at 6:54 PM

      Great question and I look forward to the answers of other students. Creating community is a tough issue. As graduate students we are stressed and busy and we have "other" lives that need attention too, but community gets created with time spent together. As silly as it sounds if I were a professor maybe I would include a wine and cheese night. Everyone brings their own (obviously) and we have a set time like "chat" where we drop in (and announce what wine and cheese we are having...) and get to know each other. No school questions, no work, just us. Maybe everyone can't attend, so no one should get offended.

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  2. Mark Van DykeApril 14, 2016 at 6:16 PM

    By the way, I like the way you include well-balanced images to complement your posts. This technique attracts readers' attention and promotes engagement. Also try including more hyperlinks in your posts. And what about video clips?

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    1. UnknownApril 14, 2016 at 6:38 PM

      Thanks. You must have looked at my to-do list on my calendar! After I finish the majority of the mid-term I am planning on experimenting with adding in some things I haven't done yet. I found in setting up the blog that adding in one thing at a time and getting comfortable with it really reduces the anxiety of the assignment.

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  3. AmandaApril 17, 2016 at 11:48 AM

    I like that, "one interaction at a time." That's definitely the way it has been working out. It seems like each time we start a new class, our discussion forum posts get a little more personal. At first it was a way to connect real life to the readings, but it feels like it has grown to be a way for us to connect to each other as well.

    And I'm up for a virtual wine and cheese night whenever you are! :)

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  4. kristenmarie16April 17, 2016 at 4:51 PM

    I agree virtual wine and cheese night sounds amazing! I love the idea of discussing topics unrelated to the course to get to know everyone better. I know we have the introductions at the beginning of the course but including some virtual interaction ice breaker would be fun. The idea of everyone being in the same place at the same time to have discussions would also make it feel more like a community. I know this can be difficult with everyone's different schedules, but I think a professor could survey the class the first week to find out what day and time would work for everyone each week. Each week you could switch between virtual discussions, conference calls, all watch a film or live speaker at the same time. Also since life happens I think each student should be excused from one attendance of these different interactions or give a professor notice so they can complete something else to make up for their absence.

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  5. GschneidnerMay 5, 2016 at 5:50 PM

    All great ideas! For my personal preference I would add a virtual wine and cheese over phone. Voice communication can be faster, rather than typing, plus I would add interactions via webex. And as Kristen said, they can be recorded and those students who could not attend, can listen to them at a time convenient for them.

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