EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN LEARNING ORIENTED VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES: THE IMPORTANCE OF MODERATOR-TEACHER TRAINING

Abstract

New technologies of communication and information, in particular the Internet, have favored the provision of online distance learning courses. On the other hand, the demand for these courses is increasing – its causes are the difficulty of space-time availability for study and the increasing digital acculturation in contemporary society. When developed in a collaborative approach, the participants in these courses should be encouraged to interact in the virtual environment, in order to develop learning in a collective way. Often, there is the formation of virtual learning communities in this context. The stimulating agent of these interactions is the teacher, a moderator in online teaching. A learning-oriented virtual community, when pedagogically moderated by a teacher, can be developed in online distance learning courses in order to favor the educational process. This paper discusses, through a literature search, the concept and importance of developing pedagogically-oriented online courses in these communities, as well as the need for training of moderator teachers who are capable of moderating interactions properly, in order to promote learning. Teachers who wish to operate in this mode of education courses should develop skills that, when associated with basic teaching, make them able to promote interaction and online collaboration, and the formation of learning-oriented virtual communities.

Keywords: virtual community; online moderation; teacher training.