Table 3 Representative Implications Of... | Emerald Publishing

Table 3

Representative Implications Of Elements For Virtual Learning Communities (from Schwier, in press)

Element	Implications for Virtual Learning Communities
Historicity	Incorporate what members have done in the past, and make their stories part of the community culture. Explicit mention of the culture, value and context of the virtual community. Make public the history of the community.
Identity	Use team-building exercises, develop community logos, and publicly acknowledge accomplishments by the group and individual members within the community. Articulate the focus or purpose of the community, and outline the requirements and rituals accompanying membership in the community.
Mutuality	Include group exercises, assignments, activities that require each member to contribute to the final product. Ask leading questions that encourage members of the community to invest in concerns held by other members, and to share ideas and possible solutions.
Plurality	Encourage membership and participation from and association with groups related to the learning focus. These might include businesses, professional associations, or groups in other countries exploring similar issues.
Autonomy	Foster individual expression and comment explicitly on its value. Set up protocol for respectful communication and reach consensus in the group. Create strategies for settling disputes or inappropriate behavior.
Participation	Allow members of the group to shape learning agendas. Give guidance to new community members, and promote opportunities for established members to go outside the boundaries of the learning event or focus. Encourage lurkers and voyeurs.
Integration	Articulate a set of belief statements, and identify group norms as they emerge and evolve. Adopt and firmly adhere to a learner-centered philosophy, and employ pedagogy that celebrates individuals while building a group identity.
Future	Identify direction of learning. Ask participants to describe ways they will use what they have learned in the community in the future. Conduct "visioning" exercises to determine new initiatives to be undertaken by the community.
Technology	Employ technology that allows meaningful communication, and which is easy for participants to use. Promote communication approaches that are compatible with older, less costly equipment where communities intend to be inclusive.
Learning	A community moderator should remind participants of learning intentions, and intervene when interaction drifts too far away from the learning focus. Encourage individuals on the periphery of the community to contribute their tacit knowledge to the explicit knowledge of the community.

Element	Implications for Virtual Learning Communities
Historicity	Incorporate what members have done in the past, and make their stories part of the community culture. Explicit mention of the culture, value and context of the virtual community. Make public the history of the community.
Identity	Use team-building exercises, develop community logos, and publicly acknowledge accomplishments by the group and individual members within the community. Articulate the focus or purpose of the community, and outline the requirements and rituals accompanying membership in the community.
Mutuality	Include group exercises, assignments, activities that require each member to contribute to the final product. Ask leading questions that encourage members of the community to invest in concerns held by other members, and to share ideas and possible solutions.
Plurality	Encourage membership and participation from and association with groups related to the learning focus. These might include businesses, professional associations, or groups in other countries exploring similar issues.
Autonomy	Foster individual expression and comment explicitly on its value. Set up protocol for respectful communication and reach consensus in the group. Create strategies for settling disputes or inappropriate behavior.
Participation	Allow members of the group to shape learning agendas. Give guidance to new community members, and promote opportunities for established members to go outside the boundaries of the learning event or focus. Encourage lurkers and voyeurs.
Integration	Articulate a set of belief statements, and identify group norms as they emerge and evolve. Adopt and firmly adhere to a learner-centered philosophy, and employ pedagogy that celebrates individuals while building a group identity.
Future	Identify direction of learning. Ask participants to describe ways they will use what they have learned in the community in the future. Conduct "visioning" exercises to determine new initiatives to be undertaken by the community.
Technology	Employ technology that allows meaningful communication, and which is easy for participants to use. Promote communication approaches that are compatible with older, less costly equipment where communities intend to be inclusive.
Learning	A community moderator should remind participants of learning intentions, and intervene when interaction drifts too far away from the learning focus. Encourage individuals on the periphery of the community to contribute their tacit knowledge to the explicit knowledge of the community.