Virtual learning communities are learning communities based not on actual geography, but on shared purpose. Through technology, learners can be drawn together from almost anywhere, and they can construct their own formal or informal groups. As such, virtual learning communities are separated by space, but not time, as communication can be facilitated by technology in real time, partially overcoming geographical inhibitions. Borrowing from the work of Bellah (1985), we suggest at least four types of virtual learning communities, with concomitant purposes they serve.
A community built on relationships promotes special kinds of connections among people, interconnections that result in a peculiar harmony similar to that found in families or collections of people. These connections might be based on a shared concern, issue or learning problem, but in each instance, the emphasis is on the relationships built among participants. Issues of commitment, trust and values are inherent in any relationships which emerge in the community.
Many robust examples of this type of community exist, but one of the most powerful has been the emergence of support groups for women on the world wide web. Women have developed web sites for dealing with abuse, single-parenting and harassment in the workplace, for example, and have used them as places for sharing experiences, discussing problems and pondering advice.
Individuals in this type of community enjoy a common habitat or locale. This sharing of place with others can offer a sense of security, commonality, and heritage. The place need not be physical, however, and in virtual communities, places are by definition not physical. People from several countries can gather in one virtual place on the internet, for example, as easily as people can gather for a meeting in a school building (perhaps easier). Nevertheless, the location can be as real as the imagination and technology allow. The internet houses thousands of virtual store fronts, for example, each of which exists metaphorically as a place.
An example of a virtual community of place is "Marathon," a computer-based network game, in which participants meet in a virtual location and exploit it in a competition. The virtual world is housed centrally, and individuals enter it from any location on the network. They can develop common strategies, team with or against other players in real time, and the actions of any player influences the game dynamically. Players can also construct their own environment, and invite other participants into that "place." Marathon is a game with few learning outcomes attached, but it illustrates some of the characteristics of virtual learning communities of place. Virtual places could also be designed around shared learning adventures, say, the physiology of the brain, or the House of Commons, and participants could interact dynamically in the places.
Communities of mind reinforce people's commitment to other people, to common goals, shared values and shared conceptions of being and doing. This can be as trivial as a shared interest in wine making, or as profound as a shared search for truth in scripture. The two most distinguishable features of a community of mind are sharing and ideas, however they may be expressed interpersonally or technologically.
Examples of a learning community of mind are often found in academic communities, where researchers come together to grapple with a shared research issue or problem. But this type of community, as with other types, are not always positive or pro-social. Many dark examples of this type of community can be found on the internet in web sites and chat groups which focus on hate. The world wide web is replete with hate mongers who promote intolerance toward all manner of religious, ethnic and political groups.
A virtual learning community of memory is based on a shared past or a common sense of history. This community connects people who might otherwise be alone, and also provides a focal point for interpreting and understanding commonly experienced events.
A very powerful example of this is found with the Holocaust survivors network on the internet. Survivors and descendants of survivors can engage in discourse with others whose lives have been touched by this tragedy. Through virtual discussion, they have an opportunity to understand the causes and effects of the Holocaust, and provide support to others in the community who share the memory. By participating within a community of memory, we are effectively managing our temporal learning environment.
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