Online learning communities in higher education: a student's based analysis of advantages and implications

Teaching methods in higher education are facing a dramatic challenge. On the one hand, e-learning technologies are able to satisfy young Digital Natives attitude towards online interactions. On the other hand, teachers are accustomed to traditional lectures because they are Digital Immigrants. New e-learning technologies could be an opportunity for innovating teaching methods in higher education. Or, on the contrary, they could be a threat if academics will not be able to exploit them. This is a major challenge as the teaching/learning process represents the core service of higher education institutions. This paper describes the experience of a Corporate Communication course supported by an online community. Furthermore, it presents the main findings of 36 interviews to students and of a focus group with the teaching staff aimed at gathering evaluations and opinions. Finally, the paper discusses some implications for excellent teaching services in higher education.