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Designing courses with sustainable virtual learning communities: a STEM teacher candidate course that extends beyond higher education

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Abstract

College graduates, especially teachers, often feel alienated when starting their careers as they may lack robust support systems to help them address daily difficulties. Researchers study online learning communities as a model to address this missing support system; however, very little research exists on the benefits of embedding these learning communities into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teacher candidates’ (TC) coursework. In this design case, we identified that a sustained Reddit social media learning community (SMLC) embedded within a technology integration course created a robust support system for STEM TCs preparing for their careers. In this SMLC, TCs discussed and solved technological and professional problems, kept up to date with new technologies and methodologies, and accessed a network of peers with similar interests. The potential of such SMLCs goes far beyond technology integration and STEM, and applying the insights from this design case might address a wide range of problems many college students, not only STEM TCs, face when beginning their careers. The design decisions we implemented in crafting our course and SMLC are documented in this paper. We also present our findings and recommendations to understand the impact and practical implications for designing effective and sustainable SMLCs.

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Data availability

The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Fuyi Feng and Irenee Niyongombwa who were diligent in helping us clean, code and compile the data for this write up. Also, to Dr Michael Glassman for his support throughout the entire project

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Marvin Evans, Elizabeth Trolli, Ashlyn Pierson & Shantanu Tilak

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  1. Marvin Evans
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  2. Elizabeth Trolli
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Correspondence to Marvin Evans.

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Evans, M., Trolli, E., Pierson, A. et al. Designing courses with sustainable virtual learning communities: a STEM teacher candidate course that extends beyond higher education. J Comput High Educ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-023-09391-0

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