IT takes a village: Virtual communities in support of education

Universities spend copious amounts of money for computer laboratories, for connections of dormitory rooms to campus networks, and for faculty workstat ions. Students who enter universities are more familiar with the Internet a nd World Wide Web than their predecessors. This base of sophisticated users and available technological infrastructure constitute a platform from whic h educators can apply leverage to reach potential students, to encourage pr esent student learning, and to maintain connections with students subsequen t to their graduations. Virtual communities offer educators the opportunity to interact with students in a more energetic manner and to encourage cont inued learning while doing so. This paper describes the characteristics of virtual communities and the contributions which they make toward the educat ional process. The reader will find guidelines for the implementation of vi rtual communities including considerations for design, management issues, a nd requirements for resources. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.