Adult Learners in Cyberspace: A Collective Case Study of Reentry Women in a Virtual Learning Community

Abstract

The purpose of this collective case study is to describe and explore a virtual learning community as experienced by women reentering higher education in an online graduate degree program. The grand tour question for this study was: How do reentry women in an online graduate program describe their experience in a virtual learning community? Purposeful sampling was used to select 11 participants who were interviewed. The I 1 participants were asked to describe their experience in an online graduate degree program by reflecting on interactions and collaborations with other students and teachers and the methods and tools used for those interactions, relationships with other students and instructors, the sense of community, and the impact of gender in their courses. Five significant findings emerged from this study: I) the participants wanted an appropriate amount of external motivation, 2) teacher involvement was critical, 3) asynchronous communication was necessary, though many participants wanted the qualities of synchronous communication in their courses, 4) multiple levels of community were described, 5) and gender played a limited role in the participants' perception of their online educational experience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]