Cynthia L. Blitz of the Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices conducted a literature review, titled “Can Online Learning Communities Achieve the Goals of Traditional Professional Learning Communities? What the Literature Says,” for presentation in 2013 by the Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic through the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Key findings as presented in the review publication: Studies find that online communities of educators can achieve the goals of professional learning communities (PLCs), but the research is methodologically limited – and too fragmented to offer clear prescriptions.The literature reflects current thinking and practice mainly for traditional PLCs, with discussions of online PLCs generally focused on how to move traditional PLC activities online. The aim is to expand opportunities for teachers to reflect and collaborate without the usual limitations of time, space, and pace.
September 2013
Published: Regional Education Laboratory Mid-Atlantic (RELMA) at ICF International
Insights from a literature review on online professional learning communities and their advantages, challenges, and emerging best practices are discussed in this report.
Citation
Blitz, C. L. (2013). Can online learning communities achieve the goals of traditional professional learning communities? What the literature says. (REL 2013–003). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.