Abstract
Higher education administrators and faculty members seek ways in which to advance student learning in online courses, and student affairs professionals seek ways to promote a sense of belonging and connectedness of students to their schools. The present study examined how a set of three classroom community variables were related to a set of two student learning variables in a predominantly White sample of 108 online African American and Caucasian graduate students. Using canonical correlation, the two subscales of the Classroom Community Scale and the mean number of messages posted each week to the online course’s group discussion boards were found to be related significantly to perceived learning and total points earned in the course along a single dimension. Moreover, African American students scored significantly lower across all five variables than their Caucasian peers, suggesting that the achievement gap that exists in many traditional educational programs also exists in graduate ALN programs and that this gap extends to sense of community.
Highlights
Distance education has burgeoned over the past decade and it continues to rapidly expand [1]
The present study extends research to determine if an Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs) educational environment offered by a predominantly White university differentially influences sense of community and learning between African American and Caucasian students
This study provides evidence that the achievement gap that has been reported in many traditional educational programs can exist in graduate ALN programs and that this gap extends to sense of community
Summary
Distance education has burgeoned over the past decade and it continues to rapidly expand [1]. The anytime, anywhere delivery of courses by computer networks, known as Asynchronous Learning Networks (ALNs), has become the most popular medium used by U. S. higher education for delivering courses at a distance [2]. ALNs are a viable alternative for students who either cannot or choose not to travel to campuses to attend traditional class meetings at predetermined times. This mode of distant learning is often an attractive option for African American students because they are likely to be employed full-time and choose the scheduling convenience of ALN programs over traditional programs [3]. Research suggests that distance education programs are best suited for certain types of students. Insufficient interactions of students with peers and faculty and differences with the prevailing value patterns of other students are likely to result in students who feel they do not fit in, which, in turn, may result in a weak sense of community due to lack of engagement, feelings of isolation, and poor academic performance [7]
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