Wenger (2011) has argued that domain, community and practice should be gathered in order to create communities of practice (CoP). It is believed that CoP would end as soon as the interest in learning together diminishes. Within that context, the role played by the community leader is of importance. In structural communities, which Wenger defines…

Many students who enroll in online universities will never graduate. Attrition in higher education is accepted and expected; however, in exclusively online programs, it is prolific, with more than 80% of those students who begin an online program leaving before graduating. It is well known in the academic literature that isolation is related to…

The Networking "Menu" is a customizable learning experience for online students to explore various ways to network virtually and to sharpen their networking skills. The "menu" offers four networking options for students to select from. Some networking options require that students network with their peers via virtual platforms…

This study examined the ways in which early childhood pre-service student teachers (PSTs) used an online community for discussions related to teaching. Using the lenses of communities of practice, our goal was to understand what happens when the PSTs begin to share new learnings about teaching through ongoing practice in online communities. We…

In the context of an ever-increasing use of social networks, researchers have studied their use in higher education and the development of communities of practice in formal and informal virtual learning environments. However, no research so far has linked non-institutional group chats and (situated) learning as part of interpreter training. This…

Actively encouraging foreign language learners to establish a meaningful connection with the target language culture--by engaging in authentic activities with other learners and native speakers in real-world communicative contexts--is a critical goal of foreign language education. This paper describes a design-based research study that…