This paper presents the findings of a study on a fully online Bachelor’s level course in Health Sciences at a European University conducted to explore the influence of learning design on the formation and evolution of different types of communities of learning. The impetus for the study came from the well-established effectiveness of community-based learning, a need for understanding learning design and analytics within networked structures and, the lack of theoretical grounding for social network analysis (SNA) in previous literature.  Our study uses the Integrated Methodological Framework (IMF) which employs SNA as the key methodology for exploring community-based learning in light of the Communities of Practice (CoP) and Community of Inquiry (CoI) frameworks. The course comprised of three differently designed successive discussion forums spanning three weeks each. Network diagrams and SNA measures clearly showed the impact of the different learning designs on student engagement in the discussion forums. Based on CoP and CoI structural components within the IMF, a comparative analysis of whole-network properties of the three networks indicated the formation of a CoP, initiated and mediated by the tutor in discussion 1, sustained by the students in discussion 2, and disintegrated due to lack of guidance and facilitation in discussion 3. Qualitative analysis on the content of discussion posts revealed the importance of group oriented messages in the formation of the CoP. The paper discusses findings in terms of implications for learning design and analytics in online learning and the role of the tutor in community formation.

Numerous models have been developed to help teachers efficiently and effectively design learning opportunities using new and emerging technologies. However, the literature to date makes little reference to the variation that exists within the models and frameworks as far as their scope, context, epistemological and pedagogical underpinnings and so on. In this paper, we critically contrast models of technology‐enhanced learning design in order to support educator selection of models, as well as to derive an overarching understanding of how learning design models may differ ontologically. A total of 21 models were selected from a systematic search of the technology‐enhanced learning design research literature. Findings indicated that technology‐enhanced learning design models can be differentiated according to whether they constitute a conceptual framework or a procedural method, their epistemological and pedagogical underpinnings, the level of granularity of the model, the extent to which contextual elements are considered, whether interactions between teachers and students are integral, whether guidance for selecting technologies is included and whether any sort of evaluation of the model has been conducted. The utility of each of these dimensions in terms of supporting technology‐enhanced learning design is considered, and the value more broadly of learning design models is critically discussed.

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How are task reflexivity and intercultural sensitivity related to the academic performance of MBA students? Higher Education in business school environments is increasingly focused on how to best equip students with the skills necessary for leadership in the global workplace. This paper examines the impact of two particularly important cognitive capabilitiestask reflexivity and intercultural sensitivity, on academic performance in an MBA programme. It was hypothesised that in an intercultural learning environment, task reflexivity would be associated with higher academic performance, and that this relationship would be mediated via intercultural sensitivity. Questionnaire data from 77 MBA students was analysed alongside academic performance. Results demonstrated that task reflexivity was indirectly related to academic performance through intercultural sensitivity. Our findings suggest that engagement in task reflexivity enables students to develop greater levels of intercultural sensitivity, allowing them to reap the positive effects of diversity in their peer group for their own learning and performance. Limitations and practical implications of the research for professional practice are discussed.