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Using VoiceThread to Create Community in Online Learning

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Abstract

A sense of belonging to a learning community has been identified as one of the factors contributing to greater student satisfaction and persistence in online education programs. Using the community of inquiry framework as a theoretical guide, the purpose of this study was to explore the role of VoiceThread, a web-based platform that facilitates cloud communication, in creating a sense of community for U.S. adult learners in the online environment. This study surveyed 39 students in a College of Education fully online master’s program and in a blended doctoral program regarding their experiences using VoiceThread in their courses. Results indicate that students perceive VoiceThread positively in the creation of online community. Students reported feeling more connected their classmates due to the tool’s ability to add voice to online activities. Students also felt more connected to their instructor due to VoiceThread’s ability to humanize, or make the instructor seem real.

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  1. University of South Alabama, 75 N. University Blvd., UCOM 3100, Mobile, AL, 36688, USA

    Peggy M. Delmas

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  1. Peggy M. Delmas
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Correspondence to Peggy M. Delmas.

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The author affirms that there was no conflict of interest, financial or non-financial, associated with the research represented in this article. All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Delmas, P.M. Using VoiceThread to Create Community in Online Learning. TechTrends 61, 595–602 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0195-z

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