Whether used by students or company trainees, the use of learning management systems fosters a sense of community. But why is community an important aspect of the learning experience? And how is a sense of community in learning management system created?

Latané’s social impact theory describes how a person’s behavior tends to correlate with the behavior of a group of people who are important to the subject, and with whom frequent interaction takes place. Users of a learning management system, for example, might correspond with group discussions, IMs, blogs, conferences, etc. The more interactions that take place, the closer the users’ sense of “us” will be. Belonging to a community of engaged learners increases the likelihood of each learner’s becoming more deeply engaged with the learning content.

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