A Comparative Institutional Analysis of Learning Communities for Postgraduate Students: Region-Wide And Intra-University Group Comparisons

Abstract

The recognition of the importance of learning communities for postgraduate students has been on the rise in recent times. As a result, many postgraduate students may wish to establish a learning community (lc) with peers and/or faculty members as a way of benefiting from the support lc s offer. This study undertakes a conceptual analysis of some key features required for organising and sustaining lc s and utilises the comparative institutional analysis (cia) approach in order to model a variety of coordination types that can exist between faculty members and masters’ course students or doctoral students undertaking lc activities. This paper endeavours to conceptually depict the typologies of two lc s with respect to cia principles, and to draw conclusions about their respective cost-efficiency and sustainability, as well as outline implications for further research.