Community Engagement in the Online Space

Since the advent of the internet, online communities have emerged as a way for users to share their common interests and connect with others with ease. As the possibilities of the online world grew and the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world, many organizations recognized the utility in not only providing further services online, but also in transitioning operations typically fulfilled in-person to an online space. As society approaches a reality in which most community practices have moved to online spaces, it is essential that community leaders remain knowledgeable on the best practices in cultivating engagement. Community Engagement in the Online Space evaluates key issues and practices pertaining to community engagement in remote settings. It analyzes various community engagement efforts within remote education, online groups, and remote work. This book further reviews the best practices for community engagement and considerations for the optimization of these practices for effective virtual delivery to support emergency environmental challenges, such as pandemic conditions. Covering topics such as community belonging, global health virtual practicum, and social media engagement, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for program directors, faculty and administrators of both K-12 and higher education, students of higher education, business leaders and executives, IT professionals, online community moderators, librarians, researchers, and academicians.

Michelle Dennis serves as Department Chair of the Online Campus of Adler University, where she recently held a 22-month interim appointment as Executive Dean and Chief Academic Officer. She previously served this campus as Director of the MA and Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology programs. She has held various positions in the field of higher education over the past 22 years and she previously worked as a statistician. Dr. Dennis provides service as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission and as a Reviewer for the International Journal of Smart Education and Urban Society. She previously served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Anafiel House, a nonprofit serving survivors of intimate partner violence. Dr. Dennis also previously served the Online Administration Network of the Association for Professional, Continuing and Online Education as Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion and she is a member of the Illinois Coalition for Higher Education in Prisons. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University, her MA in Training and Development from Roosevelt University, and her M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the American College of Education. Dr. Dennis has published in the areas of online faculty management, virtual student and faculty engagement, online faculty training and evaluation and best practices for online instruction.(bec572b6-c878-44aa-8dc9-102763dfa0fc) James Halbert is the Program Director for the Masters of Arts in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Adler University. He has a strong background in clinical research, in which most of his focus has been on cardiovascular disease and mental stress. His current research and interest has been to investigate and improve Online Education as it is becoming the more popular choice to higher education.(325a531c-e17d-4b52-94fb-598afc7cd003)