Yes you can gain friendships in e-learning as well as face to face
Recently completing an on-line course, through chat sessions and e-mailing, I gained a friend and we did our assignments together and helped each other along, which at first I thought by doing and online class I would be just stringing along with the instructor and myself, however I received help through the instructor and my friend, gaining a relationship on line is possible it is not only for the face to face classroom.
Michele:
This is an interesting observation. Non-competitive students have a strong tendency to be supportive of others in the learning effort.
Some students I have worked with in the Professional sector have also expressed that thye formed networks and helped each other found employment.
Satrohan
Networking is an essential to success in the business world as well as in personal relationships.
We can never make too many positive connections
Different perspectives on thins helps everyone to grow and learn
Joel
Joel:
Succinct; but well-put. Networks can enable us to access help in academic subjects, learn of job-openings before they are publicised; just to mention two areas in which members of a network can benefit.
Satrohan
Michele, I agree with you. I have also taken on-line classes. I have made friends from my on-line classes that I still keep in touch with. I think the key to gaining a relationship from oo-line classes is being open to the possibility.
Julie:
The possibility exists. Stduents have to take the initiative to establish relationships. Some students may be open to establishing relationships; others may not.
Satrohan
At my school, they are working on placing students in groups so that they will move through their curriculum with many of the same students in their classes. They may not make friends in the first course they take, but once they start seeing familiar names over and over, they will naturally feel more comfortable with their classmates. This should create:
1) more participation in the chats
2) more openness on the discussion boards
3) more peer encouragement in general
I believe that these days, online friendships can be just as valid as face-to-face relationships. Thoughts?
It sounds like your institution is trying to create learning communities. There is a great deal of research that suggests that students in a learning community support each other throughout the time in school and the result is an increase in student retention, success and graduation. I haven't seen any research that applies this methodology to online learning, but it would seem to be it could translate pretty easily.
I am actually a product of this methodology as the university where I received my doctorate had learning communities. We developed a support system throughout the three years of our cohort (learning community) classes, which resulted in a graduation rate of over 80% compared to the national average for doctorate programs of less than 50%. It will be very interesting to know if this does translate to the online world as well.
I earned my Masters degree from an online institution. I had never taken an online course and was overwhelmed in the beginning so I can relate when the student speak on thier nervousness in the beginning. Saying this, in my online learning experience, I have remained friends with 2 students that I had classess with and mind you, we have not yet met in person. Class have finished and we graduated and I still keep in contact with them.
I have students who want me to keep in touch with them after they left my class. One student communicated that "she felt that she gained a friend in me" from taking my class. I am sincere in my conversations with my students and I believe when I show that "tough love" (they can feel it through the email), they really beleive I want the best for them. Which I do !!!!
Kimberly,
Sounds like you are doing great things, keep it up! Building relationships and a sense of community is important in online learning. The stronger a sense of community among students and faculty the better I believe you have established your presence and built a strong interactive classroom.
Herbert Brown III
