Absence of sense of community in e-learning courses: Can the implementation of tools used by Facebook help

This thesis looks at whether or not a sense of community in e-learning classes can be created by implementing tools such as those used by the social network Facebook. E-learning is convenient for many students, but lacks the same feeling of community found in traditional classroom courses due to the absence of body language and face-to-face communication. Body language is a form of non-verbal communication that allows for a person's feelings and/or ideas to be expressed without the use of spoken language. These elements are missing from online conversation thus hindering meaningful communication and the creation of the sense of community that is necessary to achieve a successful online community. For the purpose of this thesis, data was collected from both online students, as well as online instructors to ascertain whether or not the addition of tools such as wall posts, social games, personal photographs and student profiles would be effective in building a strong sense of community in e-learning classes.