Open AccessComparing and Contrasting the Perspectives of Online Students and Faculty
Author(s) -
Sharla Berry
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
online learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2472-5749
pISSN - 2472-5730
DOI - 10.24059/olj.v23i4.2038
Subject(s) - online community , class (philosophy) , sense of community , psychology , medical education , qualitative research , pedagogy , mathematics education , sociology , medicine , social psychology , computer science , world wide web , social science , artificial intelligence
In this qualitative case study, the researcher follows up on a previous study on community in an online program. Focusing on faculty perspectives, findings suggest that while online students’ sense of community was influenced by their interactions in class, in study groups, and at in-person social events, online faculty saw their role in cultivating community as limited to the classroom. Professional and personal obligations as well as the academic reward structure also limited faculty engagement in the online community. Findings have implications for developing distance programs that support both student and faculty needs.