In February, you were an educator. Today, you're an online educator.
How do you effectively communicate and meaningfully connect with your learners in a wholly digital world?
For over a decade, we've worked with online community leaders to empower their organizations to learn, collaborate, and grow online, and you can use these fundamental ideas to enhance and improve your online education programs.
Quick Start Resources:
Spend an hour with these four resources to jump-start your digital journey.
Pro Tip: it may be helpful to substitute the word "online classroom" where you see the term "online community". The use cases are very similar and we expect the principles to apply in both cases.
This is a curated resource featuring advice and best practices from 17 community leaders about their secrets to success in building engaged, successful communities.
Like any work discipline, online communities have accepted terms and jargon. Get up to speed with the glossary of terms to "speak like a native."
Northwestern MSLOC: Ask Great Questions
This is a case study from a long-time client from the higher education sector. Check out this report to learn how asking the right questions results in long-term member engagement.
15 Community Programming Ideas
Check out this report to learn 15 proven tactics that will help jumpstart engagement in your community and/or classroom.
Want to Dive Deeper?
The Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle is built for anyone tasked with sharing knowledge online. Maybe you were a traditional classroom teacher and are now teaching online? Maybe you dabbled in online teaching, but going virtual full-time isn't what you expected? This resource bundle shares fundamental tactics and strategies to engage your learners online.
- The language of community management
- What is expected of community manager
- The specific roles and responsibilities of a community professional
- Community management fundamentals
- How to get started
- A checklist for building a community
- ...and more!
The Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle contains reports, frameworks, and tools to help community leaders tackle common engagement issues and includes:
- Roundtable Reports and case studies
- Ten years of The State of Community Management research
- High-resolution versions of our most popular models and frameworks
- Additional resources including examples of engagement playbooks, business models, and book recommendations.
You don't need to reinvent the wheel. We've spent the last ten years working with hundreds of global community leaders and distilled it all down to the proven community management tactics into this resource bundle.
Instead of wasting time searching for ideas that might help, you can start your community journey today.
The resources in the Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle will help you implement research-backed methods for improving online engagement and connecting more meaningfully in a digital world.
Three Ways to Access the Community 101 for Higher Ed Resource Bundle:
Anyone with an .edu email address can access the Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle free of charge. Request access here.
Not an educator, but still interested? Choose the best option for you below:
You can access the resources in the Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle by either subscribing to the stand-alone bundle or subscribing to TheCR Library. By subscribing to TheCR Library you get unlimited access to the Community 101 for Higher Ed resource bundle and the rest of the Library content, including dozens of Reports, webinars, case studies, podcasts, and other resource bundles.
I just want the Community for Higher Ed 101 Resource Bundle.
I want to subscribe to the entire Library.
Do you want to see all the resources in this Resource Bundle? Keep Scrolling...
The Foundation
Community Glossary
Like any work discipline, online communities have jargon. Get up to speed with the glossary of terms.
Community Maturity Model (CMM)
The Community Maturity Model (CMM) is how we categorize the different areas of community work. It is also how resources and discussions in the Network are organized.
Community Engagement Framework
We talk about engagement as a ladder, not an on/off switch. The Community Engagement Framework details how members grow, mature, and contribute to a community over time.
Getting Started
We believe in building on the success of others, not reinventing the wheel. Here are some resources that will shed some light on how other people are making their communities shine.
Community Manager Handbook
This CMGR handbook contains stories and case studies from how others before us have forged their way to community success.
10 Community Fundamentals
This report comes form a community veteran. In it she discusses 10 community fundamentals that are essential for any community.
CMGT 101
This is a curated resource featuring advice and best practices from 17 community leaders about their secrets to success.
The Language of Engagement
A primer on how to communicate to encourage engagement.
Community Playbooks
A community playbook is a must for many community managers. Here's a quick overview and an example of a draft, and final version.
Community Job Descriptions
A look at the various roles and responsibilities of different community jobs.
Community Building Checklist
Here's a comprehensive checklist for building a community.
15 Community Programming Ideas
15 proven programs to jumpstart engagement in your community.
Case Studies
One of the biggest lessons we have learned is that engagement = success. Here are some case studies that explore effective engagement strategies.
Aetna: Plain Language
How you speak in your community matters. This resource on plain language explores how to engage with your community effectively.
Shepley Bullfinch: Measuring Adoption
Learn how Shepley Bullfinch used the Engagement Framework to measure adoption internally.
Ant's Eye View: Launch a Community
'If you build it, they will come' doesn't work in online community. Explore successful launch strategies.
Maria Ogneva: Avoiding Burnout
Managing an online community can be overwhelming. Review this case study on avoiding burnout.
Expert Panel: 10 Content Curation Techniques
Learn how to use content creation to build awareness, drive engagement and reduce risk in your online community.
Northwestern MSLOC: Ask Great Questions
Empower your audience to ask the questions that get great answers, and boost long-term engagement at the same time.
Models + Frameworks
We have spent the last ten years working with global community leaders, and have developed proven, research-backed models and frameworks for community success.
Research
The Community Roundtable publishes the industry's most respected, and most widely read research. This Resource Bundle includes downloads of all ten years of the State of Community Management, and our widely-cited Community Careers and Compensation report.
- State of Community Management 2010
- State of Community Management 2011
- State of Community Management 2012
- State of Community Management 2013
- State of Community Management 2014
- State of Community Management 2015
- State of Community Management 2016
- State of Community Management 2017
- State of Community Management 2018
- State of Community Management 2019
- Community Careers and Compensation Report
