Learning to Learn: Lessons from a Collaboration

Abstract

E-learning has become one of the primary ways to deliver education around the globe. Research is keeping pace with the use of various techno-aids as educators evaluate how to effectively use these aids in an ever-changing e-classroom. Adding to this body of work, and in assessing the effectiveness of techno-tools, this study evaluates meaningful and deliberative exchanges of online discussions towards building an inclusive online classroom. Unknown to each participant were the gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, course level, and mode of instruction of the other students in the study. These unknowns are important in determining how civically engaged participants are in their discussions with each other. Are they creating dialogue and being reflective irrespective of differing instruction types or levels? A secondary focus of this study, is to provide suggestions in constructing purposefully created online e-learning communities. This project’s outcomes have important implications in the ever-demanding need to design effective online communities.