Chapter 9: Connections in Web-Based Learning Environments: A Research-Based Model for Community Building

The use of electronic technologies for the delivery of instruction has grown at an exponential rate over the last decade. Institutions of higher education, corporations, and K-12 environments continue to seek ways to use online tools to deliver instruction. Concurrently, the technological infrastructure has expanded in terms of its capabilities and power (Daniel, 1998; Dunderstadt, Atkins, & Van Houweling, 2002; Katz, 1999), increasing learner access to the technologies needed to acquire and share information with other participants. This convergence and growth in interest by educators and learners for learning via distance technologies has enabled an exponential increase in the quantity of distance education offerings across disciplines (e.g., art, history, information systems, education, science) and contexts (Saba, 2005).