What is a Learning Community? The 2024 guide to learning communities |

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What is a learning community?

Learning communities are a collection that is comprised of members who are united to achieve a common goal and similar goals as well as support one another on a learning journey. The members may study on their own or in collaboration, however the community forms the context of their learning. There are all sorts types of communities for learning, from formal programs provided by institutions of education (e.g. a classroom) to loose groupings of individuals working to learn something new together.

Here are a few of the things a learning community requires to function effectively:

• Goals shared: Not every member needs identical goals, but they should be similar enough that it is logical to collaborate and learn from one another.      
  
• Encouraging environment: A Learning community is only successful in an environments where members feel secure and respected. (Clear community guidelines will help in this regard. )    
  
• The structure: There are many ways that a community of learners may take. It could be the classroom, a mastermind, group coaching or an online cohort course. Within these are many different things to do: discussion, lessons of lectures, workshops collaborative projects and much more. A learning community needs an organized structure which the members are aware of.    
  
• Leaders: Community leaders can take several forms including facilitators, coaches, teachers or even an organizer with other peers (e.g. as a mastermind). However, most groups have at least one Host to shepherd the process.    
  

The entire list of things mentioned above are summed up into one idea: your community needs an important purpose. The Big Purpose outlines what kind of people are in your community, their common goals, and the activities you do together.

It looks as follows:

Online community for learning

An online learning community is where members gather online via a social platform to study. A lot of learning communities are on the internet these days because online platforms let people create global learning networks.

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The benefits of learning community

• Collaboration in learning: Having the opportunity to learn together can change the pace of learning and gives you opportunities to work in tandem and assist fellow learners. According to one study, 80% of learning designers for workplaces said that collaborative learning is crucial.    
  
• Motivation: Motivating yourself to learn isn't easy, however it is essential, especially for online learning. A learning community fixes this by connecting learners with each other, leading to more enthusiasm and more commitment.    
  
• Diverse perspectives: A community is comprised of people with different backgrounds. Although they may be similar, they have unique perspectives and experiences-which enriches learning.    
  
• Learn through communication: Learning through reading or watching can be fine, however the process of learning by dialogue could bring new possibilities for certain learners.      
  
• Networking: Often, a learning community provides beneficial networking opportunities too. Connecting with people who share interests can open up opportunities beyond a course.    
  
• Support that is personalized: A group of members and the host are able to respond to the specific needs of every learner, and support one another out.      
  

Advantages of an online learning community

Although all of the above benefits apply to online education communities however, there are other benefits that are distinctive:

• Find other members who share interest around the world.        
  
• Online makes even the most specialized communities feasible.        
  
• Distributed and asynchronous learning offers total flexibility to the learners in.        
  
• The latest community platforms allow you to start and expand.        
  

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Risques to a safe learning community

Learning communities are wonderful when they function properly. There are, however, some issues to watch out for. These are the things you need to watch for to make sure your learning community is successful.

• Bullying & intimidation It's not good to be in being in a group of people who are intimidated or bullied. These can be a disaster in a short time. Particularly if it's an online learning environment that people choose to join. Make sure you have clearly defined community rules, and make sure you're practicing good moderation techniques.    
  
• Monopolizing: Any community is likely to have supermembers, people who bring most of the enthusiasm and involvement. It's normal! If certain people are the only ones to participate in live conversations, it hurts other members' ability to learn. Make sure to find ways to engage everyone.    
  
• Lack of focus: No community is able to thrive without clear priorities and goals. That's the reason why having a Large Purpose is one of the most important steps.    
  
• Motivational issues: Learning communities work best in the context of intrinsic motivation. This is why adult communities with learners who have skills they are excited about tend to flourish while teachers at high schools struggle to establish online collaboration that supports blended learning.    
  
• Communication is poor: Poor communication by the Host of the community that is learning threatens the success of the learning community.      
  
• Technologies challenges: An online learning platform might be the primary participant in communities of learning that are hosted, either entirely or in part on the internet. The platform must be optimized as well as easy to use and user-friendly. If the course is being hosted online, it must be hosted on an online platform that is reliable and user-friendly.    
  

Community examples of learning

• Octo Members: Offers Financial professionals based in the UK with resources for both professional and personal growth, with a focus on staying abreast of developments within the industry.    
  
• The Journey of Intrinsic Health A eight-week course for members to transform the way they view health by mixing a flagship course, a supportive community, the option of personalized 1:1 or group coaching, and livestreaming virtual activities.    
  
• The Willing Equine Community is a course that teaches horse lovers tools for training their horses holistically. The course is brimming including discussions, questions and answers and a virtual community.    
  
• The eXd Community: Empowers educators to build innovative, inclusive schools and other organizations. The eXd Community offers a community of learning that combines self-paced education with a guided, hands-on course: Design Achievement at the Margins.    
  
• Academy to Innovate HR An paid online learning community that gives HR professionals the tools to expand their skill set and boost their careers.      
  
• Beyond Type 1 & Beyond Type 2: A private, public community for people impacted by diabetes for asking questions, sharing their successes as well as venting in a respectful and secure space.      
  

Do you want to begin your own learning community?

If you're looking for an opportunity to create your own learning community, to build it with . Our community platform provides live and recorded lessons, and mixes these with discussions, livestreaming and member profiles, chat & messaging, and live event events. The community AI Mighty Co-Host(tm) assists you to connect members, without compromising human creativity, and Mighty has an amazing app that works on every device.

To create paid communities you are able to charge 135 different currencies, create collections of communities, courses or events as well as private groups, and build the foundation of a ongoing revenue-generating businesses built around the learning community you have created.