Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 7
Creating and Sustaining
Community in a Virtual
Environment
David P. Colachico
Azusa Pacific University, USA
abStract
We are currently living in an electronic age where it is easier to travel the world, stay in touch with people
who live away from our face-to-face environment without the need to leave home or to meet in a real life
situation than ever before. The Web is becoming a place where we encounter others in ways to get our
personal, social, and professional needs met. As a result of this growing phenomenon individuals are
seeking to be a part of online communities of individuals who interact and associate with one another
through the Web and the use of modern technology. This chapter will provide an insight into the use of
information communication technology to create and sustain community.
'Technology…. the knack of so arranging the
world that we need not experience it'. -- Max
Frisch, (1911-91), Swiss novelist and dramatist in
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (2004, p.335:1).
community that happens to exist online, rather than in
a classroom or other venue where individuals come
together. I first realized the power of online instruc-
tion in 1999 when volunteers were sought to develop
online courses and to teach them at the university
where I am employed. For most instructors, the first
few years were very basic and addressed the learning
of content materials. The online courses included
studying vocabulary, memorizing terms, and complet-
ing assignments in a private setting, usually alone at
one's computer. As time went on, it was realized that
students enrolled in the courses were not getting the
introDuction
How is a web-based community different from one
in a face-to-face environment? Both are the same in
the way they involve the member of that community
and the way one interacts with another member of the
community. In brief, a virtual community is simply a
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