Teachers Access to a Brazilian Virtual Learning Community Over Time: Why They do Not Come Back

Abstract

<jats:p>A virtual learning community, created in association with courses offered within an online professional development program for Brazilian biology teachers, was reviewed over a two-year period. This virtual learning community is designed to be moderated and managed solely by the teachers themselves without any guidance. The results showed a recurring participation pattern, expressed by a large number of page and message views, for short periods of time during the courses, followed by a sharp drop in those views after the courses closed. This pattern was unrelated to course subject or duration. The questionnaires revealed that teachers who did or did not access the virtual community after the end of their courses were indistinguishable from their demographic profiles or digital skills. The analysis of teachers responses to the questionnaire showed that the lack of time due to work overload was the main reason why teachers abandoned the virtual learning community, regardless of highly positive user evaluations. The implications of the results for the future implementation of virtual learning communities in developing countries are discussed.&#x0D; Keywords: In-service teacher education. Lifelong learning. Virtual Learning Communities</jats:p>