Building effective learning communities online: an ethnographic studyA thesis submitted to Charles Sturt University for the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy Ken EustaceB.Sc, GDipEd, GradDipAppSc(Computing), MA (Paideia)15 February 2009FINAL DRAFTPage 333 of 333Table of ContentsAbstractCh1Introduction: Planning for travelCh2The review of the Literature: other travellers talesCh3The Researcher and Research Design: packing for the journeyCh4Action research cycle 1: baseline study of participantsCh5Action research cycle 2: curriculum modelling and complementary educationCh6Action research cycle 3: a polysynchronous pathway for associates.Ch7Analysis, Findings and conclusions: unpacking from the journeyReferencesAppendixCertificate of AuthorshipI hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning, except where due acknowledgment is made in the acknowledgments. .Ken Eustace 4 July 2008Acknowledgments The realisation of Doctorate of Philosophy PhD work is never solely the result of hard work and would not have been possible without the support of a number of people and organisations as well as aided by many discussions and good teamwork with staff, students and family. Dr Andrew Wallace and Professor John Weckert deserve a special mention as my supervisors.I would like to dedicate this thesis to the many adult learners who seek alternative education paradigms for their personal and professional satisfaction. In particular to the late James Jessiman and whose brilliance with open source CAD systems and collaborative workflow shines forth in the Ldraw LEGO CAD global community (http:/www.ldraw.org). Sponsorship of the research: GlobalNet Associates and the Association of Adjacent Schools, Geneva Telelearning environment support: Charles Sturt University Division of Information Technology; Mr Mike Rebbecci Research funding support: Farrer Centre; Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Rice Production; Centre for Research in Complex Systems (CRiCS) and the Centre for Research into Professional Practice Learning & Education (RIPPLE) Collection of data: Dr Malcolm McAfee, Dr Scott Sherman, Mr Geoff Fellows, Ms Lyn Hay Transcription of interviews and proof reading: Ms Sue Tuck & Ms Jill Harris Processing of the ethnographic data including the selection and use of particular techniques: Dr Pat Bazeley Action research and theoretical basis: Professor Stephen Kemmis Interpretation of the results and data analysis: Dr Malcolm McAfee; Assoc. Prof. Margaret Alston Time release funding: Prof. Jim Pratley; Assoc. Prof. Ken Dillon; Assoc. Prof. Bob Moore; Assoc. Prof. Irfan AltasThe contributions to my ethnographic involvement in the MA programme at Paideia were focused around the work and support of Dr. Malcolm McAfee, Dr. Scott Sherman, Dr. Stan Schur, Dr. Marvin Bobes, Dr. Dimitri Dimitroyannis and the archwizard and wizards of AussieMOO Aussie, and its quality controller, James Jessiman.Intellectual Property Rights If there is material in the thesis that could or does have implications for the intellectual property rights of the candidate, the University, a sponsor of the research or some other person or body, those implications shall be stated.Ethics Approval The proposal to do this research was approved by the Charles Sturt Universitys Ethics in Human Research Committee as protocol number 2004/052.Keywordsaction research, adjacent education, alternative education, comparative education, complementary education, computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), curriculum modelling, e-learning, ethnography, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), information and communications technology (ICT), learner interaction, multi-user object-oriented domain (MOO), online community, polysynchronous telelearning environment, problem-based learning (PBL).ABSTRACTBy the mid 1990s the need for a university teacher to study changing practises to teaching and learning due to the emergence of new technologies and dynamic online learning communities, such as the Paideia MA degree was in strong demand.The focus of this dissertation is the investigation into how postgraduate e-learning participants can be guided to provide their own effective conditions for peer discourse and deep learning opportunities using the Internet. The dissertation follows a learning journey, beginning with the entering experiences of the teacher-researcher as an information technology lecturer and then following resea