Methods for Deconstructing and

Reconstructing Community in Virtual

Learning Environments
Richard A. Schwier
Ben K. Daniel
Virtual Community Research Laboratory
University of Saskatchewan

Based on: Schwier, R.A., & Daniel, B.K. (2007). Did we become a community?
Multiple methods for identifying community and its constituent elements in formal
online learning environments. In N. Lambropoulos, & P. Zaphiris (Eds.), User-
evaluation and online communities (pp. 29-53). Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing.

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 Central Concerns
• Focus of research
• Atomized view of communities
• Generation of models
• Using research to inform online
learning environments

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 Community

Modeling Constituents

Comparison

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 Sense of Community
• Chavis’ “Sense of Community Index”
• Rovai & Jordan’s “Classroom
Community Scale” (Chronbach’s alpha = .93)
– Connectedness (.92)
– Learning (.87)

• Pre-post design (t-Test, p<.005)

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 Interaction Analysis
• Fahy, Crawford & Ally (TAT)
• Intensity
– “levels of participation," or the degree to which
the number of postings observed in a group
exceed the number of required postings

– 858 actual/490 required = 1.75

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 Interaction analysis
• Density
– Included only peripheral interactions
– the ratio of the actual number of
connections observed, to the total potential
number of possible connections

2a/N(N-1) = 2(122)/13(12) = .78

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 Reciprocity ratio
the parity of communication among participants

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 Plotting
Reciprocity

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 Characteristics of Community
• Transcript analysis
• Interviews
• Focus groups

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 Characteristics
• Awareness • Participation
• Social protocols • Trust
• Historicity • Future orientation
• Identity • Technology
• Mutuality • Learning
• Plurality • Reflection
• Autonomy • Intensity

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 Comparison of characteristics
• Thurstone analysis

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Thurstone Scale
 Modeling
Bayesian Belief Network Model of a
Virtual Learning Community

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 BBN - Query the network

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 BBN - Query the network

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 Conclusions
• Cycle of analysis is more important than
specific tools used
• Mixed methods seems reasonable, and
worked well in practice
• Baseline data is needed to situate findings
• Modeling is an act of systematic speculation
influenced by data (not limited by data)

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