Description

How do we understand and support learning in virtual learning communities? The main goal of this research was to take the first steps toward instantiating a model describing the fundamental processes of learning in virtual communities. We administered an online survey to graduate students to gain a better understanding of their perceptions about their own learning processes in virtual learning communities. The results of the study suggests that the process of learning in virtual learning communities can be understood through the analysis of two broadly defined learning variables, intentional and incidental, with each category playing a different role in enhancing the process of learning and community engagement online. Our work has two main contributions: to substantiate the fundamental variables constituting the process of learning in virtual learning communities and to use the results for the development of a model of learning process in virtual learning communities.