A Typology of Catalysts, Emphases and Elements of Virtual Learning Communities Richard A. Schwier, Ed.D.

Educational Communications and Technology 28 Campus Drive University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, SaskatchewanCanada S7N 0X1 Email: richard.schwier@usask.ca Phone: (306) 966-7641 Fax: (306) 966-7658 This research is supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Please cite as: Schwier, R.A. (2007). A typology of catalysts, emphases and elements of virtual learning communities. In R. Luppicini (Ed.), Trends in distance education: A focus on communities of learning. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Abstract Educators emphatically, and sometimes justifiably, criticize educational technology for concentrating too often on products and hardware, and too seldom on learners. Emerging approaches to developing rich learning environments use computer-mediated communication, and a host of interactive strategies to connect people in varied and robust ways, and writers such as Kozma (2000) challenge educational technologists to think beyond the design of instruction and consider the design of learning environments. But traditional understandings of learning environments and interaction usually stop short of the kind of engagement that will allow learning communities to form. This paper examines theoretical and conceptual issues around promoting the growth of virtual learning communities (VLCs), and it considers issues around using communication technologies in formal and informal learning environments.