Stacey, Elizabeth, Karin Barty, and Peter Smith. "Designing for online communities of learning." (2005).

This paper investigates the challenges and solutions related to forming online learning communities among postgraduate students at Deakin University who are simultaneously working professionals. The primary goal is to identify the barriers hindering the development of such communities and propose ways to overcome them, thereby enhancing the integration of online learning communities within workplace communities of practice. The study acknowledges the natural development of communities of practice in physical workspaces through mutual learning among coworkers, contrasting with the complexities of establishing similar communities in an online environment. Through interviews with both students and teachers, the research delves into various course designs, the role of the teacher, class sizes, and the dynamics of learning community development in both blended and entirely online learning settings.