Data for free: Using LMS activity logs to measure community in online courses

In the study of online learning community, many investigators have turned attention to automatically logged web data. This study aims to further this work by seeking to determine whether logs of student activity within online graduate level courses related to student perceptions of course community. Researchers utilized the data logging features of the Moodle learning management system and the Classroom Sense of Community Index. Results reveal that cumulative course data logs are predictive of both a student's sense of connectedness and student community. This study adds to a foundation for a non-invasive assessment of affective variables in online learning environments, and suggests a simple method for providing e-learning instructors with real-time feedback for fostering online community.