A study of the formation and nature of a community of learners within a blended, part-time, graduate, higher education programme

This study uses a grounded theory approach to develop a theoretical understanding of the formation, nature, and impact of a blended community on the educational experience of part-time higher education students. Within a blended community, learners interact, share information and develop their knowledge simultaneously in both a traditional face-to-face environment and a computer-mediated community space. This distinct form of community is increasingly being posited as a beneficial and desirable integration of ICTs into the learning experience of traditional higher education students, however little is known of how such a community forms or how learning is facilitated by it. Even less is known about these processes for part-time higher education students whose characteristics of maturity, vocational experience, time poverty and multiple commitments results in them potentially having the most to benefit from such a community whilst paradoxically having the most challenges in forming one. This study is located within the context of the changing nature and challenges to higher education arising out of a range of contemporary factors. These include the impact of globalisation and the knowledge economy on the demand for higher education, funding concerns, the impact upon all of the stakeholders of the rapid and pervasive rise of ICTs and the potential of ICTs to facilitate new and enhanced models of higher education teaching and learning. The need for a theoretical understanding and the availability of a successful blended community of part-time higher education learners guided the selection of a grounded theory methodology. The community investigated was that arising from an academic year of the Masters in Technology and Learning at Trinity College, Dublin University. The research analyses data from a number of sources including; over 2,400 archived online interactions within their community forum, a series of in depth interviews with students, and two questionnaires administered (to 26 students) at critical points in the process. Further data sets include statistical data arising from existing large-scale student surveys and research into part-time higher education. Using constant comparison and theoretical sampling, the stages of open, axial and selective coding were conducted to arrive at theoretical hypotheses and insights. The research findings are presented in the form of two substantive theories that explain the formation process of this type of community and the nature and impact of the community on their learning experience. The first theory explains the distinct process of blended community formation of parttime higher education students and identifies the interplay and relationships between the range of causal, contextual and intervening conditions. It highlights findings that differ from those of the more widely reported online learning community formation processes and also those that differ from the limited research into full-time blended community formation. The second theory demonstrates how a blended community can successfully leverage the advantages part-time higher education students bring to their studies whilst also ameliorating some of the challenges this cohort face.