Projecting Community in Web-based Courses: What to Say and How to Say What You Mean
Conclusion
According to The National Center for Education Statistics (Distance education at postsecondary institutions, 2004), in 2000-01, "56 percent of all postsecondary institutions offered distance education courses -- up from 34 percent three years earlier." (The Condition of Education 2004 in Brief, 2004, p. 18) We must consider this fast-paced expansion of web-based courses along with research which suggests that it may be more than "learning styles, patterns of learning, and students' demographic characteristics" that have an effect on student success in Web-based learning achievement. (Shih, Ingebritsen, Pleasants, Flickinger, & Brown, 2003, p. 504). Furthermore, if we temper the above list of recommendations by respecting individual experiences, by treating each student as an important participant in the learning process, and by providing strong content coverage, we will invariably overcome the battle to bring students together as an effective learning team rather than letting them languish in the isolation which seems to be inherent in the web-based learning environment.