Chapter 8: Reaching Students through a Virtual Community

Asynchrony; Hybrid Course; Self Efficacy; Student Centered Learning Environments; Synchrony; Virtual Learning Community.

We are in the midst of one of the most dramatic technological revolutions in history. As such, education is evolving to meet the demands of a global society (Leu, 2001; Reinking & Bridwell-Bowles, 1991). College instructors need to cultivate a variety of literacies within students to provide them with a competitive, economic edge. Colleges and universities act as a cultural bridge to those new literacies empowering individuals and groups traditionally excluded from education thereby reconstructing the classroom to make it responsive to the challenges of an ever-changing society. Using technological tools to create and extend virtual learning communities requires that instructors embrace the concept of new instructional strategies to enhance traditional educational experiences. This chapter will discuss the foundational underpinnings of building a virtual learning community and develop a framework of establishing a virtual community system in the higher education classroom by using technology as a tool to reach all students and embrace the 21^st century.