Month: November 2025

Image made by me, on Canva, November, 29

I found this article I wanted to unpack because it talks about what it actually means to be apart of an online learning community. The researchers looked at 309 psychology undergrads enrolled at the University of Leeds. These students were pushed into emergency remote learning during COVID. The researchers asked them to write a hundred words on what “learning community” meant, give an example of when they had felt part of one, and what would improve that feeling. They used reflexive thematic analysis to let student’s own words lead the way. Thematic analysis is a way of analyzing qualitative data like interview transcripts, open-ended survey answers, or written reflections, by looking for patterns or themes across the answers. The analysis resulted in three key themes emerging:

• Feeling connected despite physical distance
• Feeling included and visible
• Feeling “together” through shared experience and mutual support

What really stands out is that community, from the students perspective, wasn’t about fancy platforms or perfectly structured courses, it was about relationships, access, and visibility. Students talked about how isolating online learning felt because it lacked the face to face connection. They also mentioned that it’s hard to feel apart of a community when you’ve never met your classmates. They mentioned being able to go to the library and see other students working, going to lectures and seeing other students in person, and meeting fellow psychology students. All of these were strengths of in person learning. Some even mentioned how during online lectures most students kept their cameras off and conversations were one-way which furthermore affected their sense of community. The only interaction was content delivery. They wrote about feeling more like part of a community when they had regular, human contact with both peers and staff which is an improvement that could be made. This improvement could be having small group spaces to compare notes, group chats to share struggles, cameras on during interactions, and informal virtual meet ups that replicate spontaneous conversations that normally happen on campus. This could happen on discussion boards or peer support channels and can help reduce the feeling of being isolated as an online learner. The article also stressed the importance of visibility and support from staff beyond just delivering content. This could be through personalized communication, quick responses to concerns, and being invited into spaces typically reserved for academics (like research seminars) helped students feel valued and included.

The researchers and authors argue that if were going to keep using “learning community” in policy tools and surveys in higher education, particularly in online models, we need clearer definitions that reflect how students themselves understand community. And they understand it as connection, inclusion, mutual learning, and the option to engage on their own terms. This was a reminder to me and maybe others who are in online learning communities or trying to make one, that they don’t just “happen” on zoom. They have to be intentionally built around our needs as humans which is connection.

Image made by me, Parmis Banihashemi, using Canva, Nov. 2025

This article explores the rapid transition to full online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines the different barriers faced by instructors, students, and institutions. The study described the big shift from in person to remote as “massive distance education” (MDE). They identify several different barriers. First-order barriers like lack of internet access, limited devices, and lack of training for teachers. Second order barriers which involve people’s beliefs and attitudes towards technology which includes parents not just students and teachers. Third order barriers are related to the difficulty of designing engaging and meaningful lessons.  They also identify a “2.5 order barrier” which refers to teachers experiencing challenges with managing student behavior and engagement during remote learning. 

Both teachers and students are facing challenges when it comes to having stable internet connection, some experience limited internet connectivity and it affects the students focus and learning online. Teachers are being required to suddenly use new classroom designs and parents need to support their kids during this shift to remote learning at home. One thing that came to my mind in regards to this matter, is impoverished communities where students might not have access to technology or stable internet at home and relied on in person schooling systems to offer resources like computers which this article also highlights. The study found that groups with better access to technology resources created a digital divide to those who do not and refers to them as videoconferencing refugees. The study also found that some students were feeling overwhelmed with the amount of time they had to spend on technology. In this day and age with parents who have put limits on their childs screen time, parents could now also be struggling to have to allow their kids to face a screen for many more hours a day than beforehand. The article states that online education is possible if all four barriers are dealt with. 

This study also discusses how the quality of online learning was influenced by the choice of online platform and how well teachers could use different interactive tools to keep students engaged. Some teachers experimented with technology like virtual reality which I have never personally experienced but can imagine how engaging that would be. It shows how much creativity and adaptability is needed to make online learning effective. Even though not every classroom or online school has access to these advanced tools, this highlights the potential of different kinds of technology making remote learning more meaningful. 

One benefit mentioned is how in person classes had limited space, whereas online learning allows an unlimited number of students that can attend class together. This was something I havent really reflected on before, the restrictions of physical classrooms. As a university student I feel like I have experienced not getting into a course a few times so I can relate to this point now. However, when I was in high school, I was less aware that limited space could be an issue for myself or others. 

Overall, this article helped me see both the challenges and advantages of massive distance education. It showed me how technology can expand learning opportunities but also how important it is to design online education in a way that keeps students motivated and connected.