By now we know that students need more than access to information and technology to help them learn; they need the presence of their peers and instructors. Educational theorists Lev Vygotsky and Albert Bandura both taught us that life is a group project. We can build communities of practice by constructing communities of inquiry. A community of inquiry is effective when it provides both a cognitive and social presence. While challenging in an online environment, social presence is more than downloading the right information and leaving disembodied comments on assessments. Educators must craft a social presence through thoughtful design and interaction with learners.

There are several models for thoughtfully designing communities of practice. One model is to structure student interactions. Peers need peers because we are social animals. An example of a structured student interaction is the centralized discussion post in week one of class. More than just an ice-breaker, this purposeful post can be a place where students share 2-3 goals or expectations for the class, identify metacognitive strategies they plan to employ to be effective, and describe what they already know about the subject. In later discussion posts, educators can set the conditions for agency by using small-group options in the LMS and allowing students to choose their topic of interest. It is also helpful to know the typology of online cognitive-social learning engagement. Prestridge and Cox (2021) defined four profiles of students based on an online chat-based platform: bench sitter, hustler, striker, champion. In recognizing types of student engagement profiles, educators have the capacity to purposefully design social learning spaces online.

Another model of a community of learners is to design and teach for cultural inclusion, which was mentioned briefly in the last lecture video. To increase the sense of belonging for our students, educators must increase our awareness of the ways that cultural contexts influence online student behaviors and levels of engagement. One example is the Council for At Risk Student Education and Professional Standards, an advocacy group for culturally diverse learners that also helps faculty see the importance of increasing their awareness. Another example for educators is to monitor online discussions for culturally sensitive language and behaviors. In my syllabus, I write that I will monitor the online discussion boards for culturally sensitive language, to which I have received positive feedback from my students. Finally, educators can include an awareness activity, such as sharing the story of how you and your students got your name, meaning, nicknames, what you prefer to be called, and even pronunciation tips. The Critical Multicultural Pavilion EdChange Project is a good resource for awareness and equity activities in the digital learning environment. We are relational beings. Communities of practice that convey a pedagogy of care are the most effective environments for collaborative learning.

Aristotle wrote in Politics that: “Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something in nature that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god.” (Aronson, 2018).

Aronson, E. (2018). The social animal. Worth Publishers.
Prestridge, S., & Cox, D. (2021). Play like a team in teams: A typology of online cognitive-social learning engagement. Active Learning in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787421990986