An Introduction to the Special Issue: Designing for Virtual Communities in the Service of Learning

Currently, numerous educators and policymakers are advocating for a move away from “teacher-centered” models of instruction and toward more “learner-centered” and “community-based” models. However, at present the word “community” is at risk of losing its meaning. We have little appreciation and few criteria for distinguishing between a community of learners and a group of students learning collaboratively (Barab & Duffy, 2000; Grossman et al., 2000; Wineburg & Grossman, 1998). Given the proliferation of terms such as “communities of learners,” “discourse communities,” “learning communities,” “knowledge-building communities,” “school communities,” and “communities of practice,” it is clear that