Building online communities: exploring the conditions for interpersonal and cognitive connections

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dc.article.end-page108
dc.article.start-page94
dc.contributor.authorPadayachee, Kershree
dc.contributor.authorKluyts, Marike
dc.date.accessioned2022-11-21T08:26:52Z
dc.date.available2022-11-21T08:26:52Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractEmergency remote teaching and learning (ERT&L) arose out of necessity in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and continued in 2021. A critical but o􀀠ten over-looked aspect of ERT&L was the feeling of isolation that increased significantly for sta􀀵 and students alike, with the remoteness making it di􀀶cult to connect and form communities. Given the importance of connection and community in learning, academic success and general wellbeing, the question that unfolded for us as academic developers involved in the academic support of students and sta􀀵, was how to re-create spaces for connection and community (interpersonal and cognitive) in the current online environment. In this chapter, we reflect on this question in the context of the various communities within the Academic Development (AD) spheres in which we were involved during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included postgraduate writing communities, a community of Instructional designers at the institution, and faculty teaching and learning communities that emerged between AD sta􀀵 and lecturing sta􀀵. Data was generated through an autoethnographic approach involving free writing of our experiences, followed by coding and thematic analysis using the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 1999) which focuses on the three types of presences required for the successful functioning of online learning communities, viz., social, cognitive and teaching presence. Four characteristics emerged that enabled the transformation of the online space into a platform for knowledge building and knowledge sharing. We discuss these characteristics and the implications thereof for ongoing student and staff support, with a cautionary note on the impact of social positioning on community engagement. We conclude with some suggestions for ways in which the various online communities might be maintained and strengthened to enhance teaching and learning beyond Covid-19.
dc.description.librarianTL (2022)
dc.facultyFaculty of Commerce, Law and Management
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/33514
dc.language.isoen
dc.titleBuilding online communities: exploring the conditions for interpersonal and cognitive connections
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