Many individuals hold fond memories of their high school years. The bond of friendship that was believed to be unbreakable, the monumental events that were witnessed, and even the crazy stunts that were engaged in with reckless abandon all served to create a cocoon of warm and comforting memories. By no means the least of these events were football Fridays. The pep rally kicked off by the marching band disrupting classes as they marched through the hallways of the school building blaring a call to attendance, cheering on the home team while appendages nearly reached frostbitten status, and warming by the fire with hot cocoa and good friends in celebration of winning the "big game" all created a sense of community with the institution rooted in shared experiences. Add to that the daily banter between classes in the hallways, and it was easy to feel a part of this community called "school."

In the distance education environment, however, creating a sense of community is not a simple task.  There are no pep rallies or marching bands or football teams. There are no offices or teachers' lounges in which to connect informally. Learners in distance education often progress through their lessons sequestered from human contact. Staff members working from their home offices typically work in isolation, detached from family, colleagues, and the institution. Whether or not this is a positive experience depends entirely upon the psychological status of the learner or staff member. Nonetheless, most (if not all) learners and staff members eventually succumb to the basic human need of belonging as described by Maslow (1954).

So, what does community mean in the distance education environment? Strip away the football Fridays; the pep rallies; and the hallways, offices, and lounges in which to banter; and what remains as the core notion of community? Community requires a set of common interests and deepens with shared experiences. Community requires interaction among individuals. At the core, community is about people and their connection to one another. It is about bridging the psychological distance between individuals so that they have a sense of connectivity and belonging rather than feeling siloed and isolated. In distance education, community must also bridge the physical gap in order to create this connectivity.

Interestingly enough, the physical gap and psychological distance seem magnified in the distance education environment when compared to other communities such as professional organizations or the broader academic community. Most members of a professional organization have some degree of a sense of belonging and connection to the organization. Most collegiate professors and classroom teachers have a sense of belonging to the academic community despite the locations of their colleagues. Regardless of location, learners will also experience a sense of community with broader groups such as student athletes, national or international fraternities and sororities, or student leaders. However, in a distance education environment learners and staff members may struggle to feel connected to both the institution and peers.

So, how do distance learning institutions bridge these psychological and physical gaps to create a sense of community among their learners and staff? The methods for creating connectivity and community at a distance are an ongoing topic of discussion that will be addressed in Building a Distance Community - Part 2.

Reference

Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY: Harper and Row.