Virtual and Physical Connections: An Assessment of an Online Program

This study builds on the idea of embedded learning community and examines the technology and communication tools, class activities, and assignments used to achieve community building in the student’s physical community and in their virtual community in an online library and information science master’s program. It employs both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The quantitative analysis reports on a survey of library and information science (LIS) faculty on nine categories of involvement and included 33 master level courses that were taught between fall 2010 and summer 2012. Analysis of the quantitative data indicates which courses have the potential for creating high levels of virtual and physical connectivity and which courses have lower potential for virtual and physical connectivity based on class requirements and activities. The qualitative analysis includes analysis of student feedback in one course and one class activity. Analysis indicates that online and physical community building activities vary by type of course?archival, school library, core, and elective. This awareness can help to stimulate and increase levels of community-building activities in both required and elective courses in online programs. ________________________________________________