How can you build smaller learning communities while you are busy sending e-mail, evaluating assignments, and holding office hours? Getting the whole class to get to know each other is a big job in itself, but once some larger activities, such as chat sessions, have taken place, smaller communities should be fostered. These groups can deepen learners’ educational experiences and create more meaningful interactions. You can break down your regular communication activities and the assignments that you give to learners so that smaller learning groups are formed within the larger class community. Below is an overview of the way you can build small groups’ work into your weekly teaching activities.

Week 1
1. Have learners introduce themselves through group e-mail messages or bulletin board posts.
2. Hold an office hour early in the first week of the course. Get to know as many learners as possible, and encourage learners to chat with each other.
3. Send group messages and create bulletin board folders with important information the entire group needs to know.

Middle Weeks
1. Set up smaller groups for projects. Vary the composition of the groups with each team assignment or project.
2. Hold formal chats with different groupings of learners.
3. Require learners to post bulletin board messages commenting on other learners’ posts about a topic. Create a bulletin board discussion of relevant topics, perhaps a new topic each week.
4. Hold Q&A or review sessions in the chat room.
5. Encourage learners to use all media available for working together. Assist learners in scheduling time in the chat room, for example.

Final Week
1. Post information needed to complete the course in a bulletin board folder and group e-mail.
2. Send a group thank you/farewell e-mail message.
3. Encourage all learners to attend the last office hour chat session.

These weekly activities help the group stay on track as a learning community, but allow other, smaller learning communities to form and work on their own. Each day you work online you can plan, or perform, these activities. Working them into your weekly teaching tasks is necessary for a successful class. You can’t facilitate all learning activities, but learners working independently and together can tackle projects, analyze materials, and master the concepts contained in the course materials.

Even when learners are not working together on a specific project, they can still talk with each other at least a few times a week. Setting up discussion questions for bulletin board posts, sending e-mail to learners and encouraging students to write to each other, and holding online office hours are just three ways to get class members to share their ideas. These activities, even though they are not highly structured, also help build a sense of togetherness.