“It’s Hard to Feel a Part of Something When You’ve Never Met People”: Defining “Learning Community” in an Online Era (Prodgers, 2023)

The study investigates students’ understanding and definition of “learning community” during the COVID-19 pandemic’s emergency pivot to online teaching. The qualitative analysis of students’ responses generated three dominant themes: “Feeling connected: Bridging the gap whilst physically distanced”, “Feeling included: Visible and valued”, and “Feeling together: Mutuality and the shared experience”. These themes suggest that students value a sense of belonging, visibility, and shared experience in online learning communities.

Prodgers, L., Travis, E., & Pownall, M. (2023). “It’s hard to feel a part of something when you’ve never met people”: Defining “learning community” in an online era. Higher Education (00181560), 85(6), 1219–1234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00886-w