Definition of a learning community manager
The boom in online training has increased the need to unify and manage communities of e-learners, giving rise to a new profession: the learning community manager (LCM). The LCM’s mission is to support a virtual community of learners with a shared interest or training program on social networks (whether mass-market social media or in-house networks hosted on an LMS platform).
The LCM is a facilitator who builds relationships between Internet users and an organization (such as a training center or a company’s training department). In vocational training too, the dialog between learners and trainers is essential. Trainees need to share information, ask questions or debate among themselves. The roles of the LCM and the trainer may be separate, but in some cases, the trainer will also be responsible for managing the learner community.
Regardless of the chosen online training format (MOOC, COOC or SPOC), most e-learning platforms support features to generate interactions between learners through a range of tools: chat windows, instant messaging services, forums, etc. The Learning Community Manager can participate before, during and even after the training. It should also be noted that LCMs are not just for e-learning, but can also play a valuable role in face-to-face or blended learning courses.
What are the main missions of the learning community manager?
Despite the development of MOOCs, which saw more than 3 million people take e-learning courses in 2017, this learning format has revealed some limitations. In particular, nearly 80% of MOOC participants fail to complete the course, due to lack of motivation. Hence the importance of a facilitator able to support learners, answer their questions and promote dialog. In the words of Phillipe Carré, an academic specializing in training “we learn on our own, but need other people”. The work of the learning community manager revolves around 5 key functions:
- Help learners and address their concerns
A learner experiencing technical difficulties using a tool or one of the platform’s features, or seeking logistical information or more information about a particular topic covered during the training can directly contact an LCM, who will answer any questions or even act as an intermediary between the learner and trainer.
- Encourage learners
The learning community manager may take part in conversations between learners, for example to encourage or congratulate a learner. There may be a “coaching” aspect to their role. Depending on their status and missions, they may also be required to produce comprehensive reporting, with precise quantitative indicators relating to the learner community (e.g. completion rate of an e-learning module, number of hours spent per module, etc.)
- Manage the learner community
The LCM can intervene in exchanges between learners. In a discussion forum, they create new topics and are also responsible for archiving the oldest posts. They may ask questions, provoke debates or, on the contrary, moderate any behavior considered detrimental to the community. Lastly, the LCM organizes, archives and sorts all the documentary resources included on the e-learning platform.
- Establish industry watch
The LCM keeps abreast of the latest industry news and regularly publishes information on the discussion forums used by learners. They may be the author of some of this published content, and share other information originally posted elsewhere.
