Virtual online environments creating an external social presence — MOO

Abstract After five years of significant growth in the use of the online‐medium to deliver courses by Australian universities, questions are still being asked about the overall quality of the experience provided to students studying in these online environments. This article explores the experience of community for a group of undergraduate students studying an online course designed and offered in a virtual environment. This research confirms the significance and value of community for students studying courses online and suggests that virtual online environments such as MOO's, that provide students with a sense of place and the possibility of creating an extended social presence, create a unique virtual space which facilitates the development of learning support networks or learning communities.