SENSE OF COMMUNITY IN ONLINE COURSES

Abstract

The rapid growth in online courses continues to spark faculty concern about the quality of instruction related to the lack of interaction, social process, and social presence thought to promote socialization of students into a profession. Courses designed to promote a sense of community in online courses may address these concerns. The purpose of this study was to measure a sense of community in online classes at a western, landgrant university. Students taking online classes using the eCollege Web platform completed the Classroom Community Scale developed by Rovai (2002b) to measure a sense of community. Student interviews validated the scale.