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The study found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through face-to-face instruction

hose who took "blended" courses -- those that combine elements of online learning and face-to-face instruction -- appeared to do best of all

"Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning,

Building a Learning Community Palloff and Pratt recommend seven basic steps for building a successful learning community. These include: clearly defining the purpose of the community, creating a distinctive gathering place for the group, promoting effective leadership from within, defining norms and a clear code of conduct, allowing for a range of member roles, allowing for and facilitating of subgroups, and allowing members to resolve their own disputes. The authors caution that it is possible to develop a community that has strong social connections between the students, but where very little learning actually takes place. Thus, it is important that the instructor be actively engaged in the process and encourages students who stray from the learning goals of the course. Specifically, the authors recommend: (1) engaging students with subject matter, (2) accounting for attendance and participation, (3) working with students who do not participate, (4) understanding the signs of when a student is in trouble, and (5) building online communities that accommodate personal interaction. Indicators of a Successful Learning Community You can tell if the learning community is working when you see: active interaction, sharing of resources among students, collaborative learning evidenced by comments directed primarily student to student rather than student to instructor, socially constructed meaning evidenced by agreement or questioning, with the intent to achieve agreement on issues of meaning, and expressions of support and encouragement exchanged between students, as well as willingness to critically evaluate the work of others. Finally, they suggest that the keys to successful learning communities are honesty, responsiveness, relevance, respect, openness, and empowerment. Palloff, R.M. & Pratt, K. (1999). Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Judy has it exactly right--we have to rethink what we do when we move a course online. When radio first moved to television, TV shows were merely radio broadcasts with motion pictures. It took a while for TV to figure out what it did best. It's going to take us some time as well.

Are LMSs helping to improve education or are the current offerings so inflexible that it actually hinders teaching? What are people doing with LMSs that they can't do in an in-person classroom?