Web-based Learning Solutions for Communities of Practice

which will ultimately influence the way the students
socially develop and cognitively grow. Constructive
feedback is an element of the humanistic
approach of social learning. It gives the e-learner
an opportunity to review, contrast and compare
the work he or she has delivered (particularly in
writing assignments), make a connection and seize
the opportunity towards unlimited potential in the
application of knowledge. As an element of the
social learning theory, e-feedback can therefore
be seen as a feature of social presence as well as
interpersonal communication in an online community
of practice, all of which influence the
cognitive and social development of the student.
Being modeled by the online facilitator, quality
e-feedback produces a collaborative atmosphere
of social learning within a virtual community of
practice, such as an online class room.
ISSUES, CONTROVERSIES,
AND PROBLEMS
Rationale for Quality
e-Feedback as an Element of
Social Learning Theory
The depth and interest in meaningful e-feedback
grew from my experience as an e-facilitator and
Faculty Manager (some of which I held in an
adjunct capacity) for five different universities.
Some of the online universities which I taught
at had different requirements for feedback on
assignments. As most of the e-universities or
online programs did not set feedback standards;
it led me to feel that it was not placed at the same
level of importance as being present in online
discussions.
Interesting enough, I observed that students
began sending me emails to thank me for taking
the time to give them such indepth and constructive
feedback on their assignments. Moreover,
students commented on how much they have
learned from the feedback, and how they can
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The Impact of Quality E-Feedback as an Element of Social Learning Theory
apply it in the future not only to improve their
academic work, but also in their workplace. To
my surprise, I learned from some of the students
that this was the first time they have received such
meaningful feedback.
Furthermore, in my position as a Faculty
Manager, I observed that e-facilitators were giving
various degrees of feedback to students. I was
surprised to learn that there was neither consistency
nor standards applied when giving feedback
to students, and that the quality of e-feedback
did not appear to be a priority at the time. I then
wondered how the various degrees of e-feedback
affected the students’ learning outcome and how
e-feedback was related to social learning in a
virtual community of practice as a whole. How
could this be assessed and measured? What could
be put in place to consistently maintain the highest
quality of e-feedback as a social learning tool in
an online community of practice?
In my capacity as a full-time professor and
Faculty Manager, I became aware of a pressing
need for consistent quality e-feedback and its ties
to social learning in a virtual community of practice,
such as the online classroom. I also became
conscious of the fact that providing students with
quality e-feedback may be equally important as the
presence of the e-facilitator in online discussions,
especially when a solid quality learning outcome
is concerned. Implementing the social learning
theory element of quality e-feedback may just be
a wonderful quality improvement tool that will
place accountability and responsibility on both
the e-professor/e-facilitator and the e-educational
institution and organization, or virtual community
of practice, towards meeting the new demands of
quality made by its customers.
Context of the Study
U21Global is a joint venture between a consortium
of Universitas 21 and Manipal Education, which
delivers a number of online learning graduate programs.
The U21 member universities participating