Sense of Community of Practice in Online Education: A Case Study of an MBA Program

Abstract

Situated cognition and engagement in a community of practice in online education has been difficult to attain through the information and communication technologies deployed throughout higher education. Effective real-time collaboration is a key component to the development of a community of practice and what has been missing in online business education. This study examined the integration of web conferencing tools and discussion boards to determine whether a community of practice formed in the Fox Online MBA program at Temple University. The investigation examined 13 students' interactions throughout a compressed five-week online marketing course delivered primarily through WebEx and Blackboard. Results show that the students were consistently actively engaged in the course throughout the real-time classes as well as the discussion board. Further, students' active participation focused primarily on how the course content related to personal and professional experiences. Evidence suggests that the students developed strong social bonds and a community of practice was present.