Sense of community, perceived learning, and course satisfaction in highly flexible online courses

Experiencing a sense of community in online higher education has been positively associated with course satisfaction, academic performance, and student motivation. However, participating in a learning community can be challenging for online students. In this study, we investigate sense of community in highly flexible online courses by exploring two modified versions of Rovai’s Classroom Community Scale (CCS). As the original CCS is somewhat ambiguous regarding the target learning community, we developed two modified versions focusing on peers and teachers, respectively. The study was conducted as an online survey administered to 706 online higher education students, of whom 158 responded (response rate 22.4%). The data were analysed using t-tests and regression analyses. The results suggest a possible dual-community framing, comprising two distinct learning communities: one involving peers and one involving teachers. Each community exerts different effects on perceived learning and course satisfaction. Furthermore, learning support seems more important than social support for both outcomes. Based on these findings, a tentative implication is that activities for online students should primarily be academically oriented, rather than socially focused. Our results align with previous research showing that interaction with peers positively predicts sense of community. However, peer collaboration did not predict perceived learning or course satisfaction. Respondents reported limited contact with both peers and teachers, and the sense of community they experienced was not particularly strong. Thus, our findings indicate that some degree of institutional support is necessary to foster meaningful interaction and a stronger sense of community in highly flexible online learning.