Modelling learner and educator interactions in an electronic learning community

Critical to understanding how an electronic learning community can be established and sustained is understanding how learners and educators interact within the community. The study reported in this paper found that the development of an electronic learning community is a complex process that relies on the willingness of the learners to adopt a collaborative learning style. This appears to require a major shift in their learning behaviour and is a process in which the educators appear to have little influence. A discussion forum designed to provide a collaborative learning environment where students can discuss learning issues and provide feedback to staff has provided a vehicle for this study. An investigation of student and staff use of the discussion forum has informed the development of a set of visual representations that may be used to describe electronic learning communities.