Virtual Communities – Online Student Services
Jul 29th, 2013 by Michele Brannon-Hamilton
Welcome to my Educational Technology Blog. I began this blog as a reflective assignment in my master’s degree. It was a place to explore and write about how educational technology could be used in educational institutions. My research in this field has led me to an interest in virtual communities and online student services.
Two years ago, I turned my research into a reality with the creation of a Virtual Learning Commons for a local college in Ontario. I designed an online community that included writing services, learning skills, math services, peer tutoring, and English Conversation. These services include live chat, Twitter, online appointments, videos, blogs, learning modules, and discussion boards.
Today, I work at the University of Waterloo, Canada, as an Online Learning Consultant designing online courses but I still have an interest in developing and promoting online student services. As the interest in online learning continues to grow, I believe there is even more of a need to create online services to help students learn anytime, anywhere. We now have the ability to create a community where students can interact with content, experts, and each other.
I’d like to share my ideas with you and I welcome any comments or suggestions. Please read my earlier posts for a background in my project. The topics are as follows:
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