Abstract:

The level of classroom community is measured in a blended course of a doctoral program from the north of Mexico, using an instrument created by Rovai (2002). This instrument obtains the levels of connectedness and learning scores that conforms the classroom community scale score. With a mixed method study, the following research includes a survey and semi-structure interviews from two doctoral students’ members of the PhD educational program. Analysis from two examples of the the discussion forums are also included with the intention to reveal the level of classroom community by gender and the specific characteristics in the performances of the doctoral students of the course selected. With several academic experts cited, the problematic situations experienced by doctoral students are explained offering contextual justifications of the research problem.
The blended course selected for this study is part of the doctoral program released on January the fifteen of 2010 by a school of education part of the Boarder of Education in a State of the north of Mexico. This school has to this day two generations, so far, in the third and second year of a three year doctoral program in education with an accentuation in educational technology and communications.
The doctoral programs consists of twelve blended courses, seminars and training courses of different areas with an academic staff of national and international professors with a PhD degree from recognized universities abroad.
According to the standards exposed in this doctoral program, the doctoral student should full fill a profile considering a high level of achievement in an educational field such as teaching experience, administrative background in the academic field and/or previous studies in the education area with a certified degree in education and/or areas in relation to the education field.
Each candidate should be able to present a complete filed with all the requirements previously mentioned and the acceptance of the doctoral committee in a personal interview scheduled, as well as double certificate of a high level domain of two foreign languages such as English and French.
On the other hand, each candidate should present a doctoral project exposing a topic, methodology and research objectives to develop along the way in his/her doctoral program of three years. As well as the commitment of presenting at least three participations in national and/or international congresses or seminars and publishing at least one article in an arbitrate journal in the field.
The blended course selected for this study is Telematic Web in an online Education recently taken by the first generation of doctoral students for a period of nine weeks, being a group of seven participants.
The main objective of this study is to measure the level of community classroom connectedness and learning score using an instrument by Alfred P. Rovai (2002), as well as open questions in a survey given to the seven participants, members of the first generation of the doctoral program, at the end of the course mentioned.
This data is analyzed by the researchers and an interpretation is offered by them considering the statues of their own level of participation with in the course, one as the professor in charge of the course itself and the other, as a member of the doctoral group of students.

Keywords:

Classroom Community, Connectedness, Learning, Blended course, Doctoral Program & Mixed Method Study.