Preliminary Validity and Reliability of the Sense of Community in Online Courses Scale

• In Event: Online Teaching and Learning: Research Methodologies

Abstract

The high rate of attrition in online courses is a major concern for university administrators and faculty. One reason theorized for this attrition is a lack of a sense of community in online courses; however, to our knowledge no valid and reliable measure of sense of community in online courses exists. Therefore, in this manuscript we present a 16-item, four-component scale meant to measure sense of community in online courses. We also provide evidence that the scale is reliable and has factorial validity. It is our hope that this scale will be beneficial to researchers of online learning and to instructors of online courses interested in improving the sense of community in their courses.

Authors

• Justus J. Randolph, Mercer University

• Linda Crawford, Walden University