Examining sense of community in an online course in a COVID-19 semester: A case study

The purpose of this case study was to understand the development of sense of community in a fully online course and examine how the course elements supported the community-building processes. The instrumental case study design is used in order to deeply understand students' sense of community built in the course and the role of course elements in the community-building processes. The case was selected using purposeful critical sampling since the course was offered in the first online semester following the emergency remote teaching period (Spring 2020) in the COVID-19 pandemic era. Three datasets were collected: the SCI-2 survey at the end of the semester, and semi-structured interviews at mid-semester and at the end of the semester. The findings showed that the four community elements, reinforcement, influence, membership, and shared emotional connection, were all present in this course, although with varying degrees. The SCI-2 results were consistent with the qualitative data. The qualitative data also showed that the adapted course elements for online modality supported the community building processes.