Virtual Learning Communities

- What are the characteristics of a successful learning community?- How are successful communities facilitated and maintained?

-What lessons can be learnt from existing learning communities?

This book is written to help professionals facilitating or participating in online learning communities as part of a structured learning programme, as an approach to continuous professional development or as a means of improving performance at work.

This includes: -continuous professional development courses for general practitioners, social workers, teachers, lecturers

-students on the rapidly increasing number of e-learning programmes

-staff developers and project workers seeking to facilitate professional groups online

-those in the voluntary sector

It will be relevant to practitioners in a range of professional fields who are interested in collaborating in virtual environments.

"Virtual Learning Communities provides practical guidance on effective practice in initiating, establishing and sustaining successful learning communities. It includes extensive examples, case studies and activities. The book is based on the authors' practical experiences of facilitating and participating in a range of communities in a wide range of sectors including: education, health and the manufacturing sectors.

Virtual learning communities are becoming increasingly important as professional workers in the knowledge economy seek new and effective ways of improving performance in the workplace. The use of information technology and particularly the Internet mean that these people can meet in a virtual space at a time, place and pace to suit their busy professional lives. This book providesguidance on establishing and participating in effective learning communities including collaborative approaches to problem solving, constructing new knowledge and understanding and using learning technologies to disseminate this learning.