Can Online Learning Communities Achieve the Goals of Traditional Professional Learning Communities? What the Literature Says

Title:	Can Online Learning Communities Achieve the Goals of Traditional Professional Learning Communities? What the Literature Says
Description:	Professional learning communities (PLCs)—teams of educators who meet regularly to exchange ideas, monitor student progress, and identify professional learning needs—reflect a growing interest in promoting professional development that engages teachers and administrators. Increasingly, teachers are able to participate in online and hybrid PLCs in addition to PLCs that meet face-to-face. This report examines: characteristics of PLCs, as reported in the literature; advantages and challenges of online and hybrid PLCs, compared to face-to-face PLCs; and considerations for the design and setup of online and hybrid PLCs.
Online Availability:	Download, view and print the report as a pdf file. (237KB) Download, view and print the executive summary as a pdf file. (72KB) Need Help Viewing PDF files?
Cover Date:	September 2013
Web Release:	September 18, 2013
Print Release:	September 18, 2013
Publication #:	REL 2013003 General Ordering Information
Center/Program:	REL
Associated Centers:	NCEE
Authors:	Cynthia L. Blitz: Center for Effective School Practices, Rutgers University
Type of Product:	What's Known
Keywords:	Educational Improvement Online Learning
Questions:	For questions about the content of this What's Known, please contact: NCES WebMaster.