DESIGNING SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ONLINE EDUCATION: LESSONS FROM AN ADULT ESL PROGRAM IN FLORIDA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of social components in online education, particularly as learners confront mental health challenges due to the loss of social interaction associated with the shift to virtual learning. This paper examines the concept of social infrastructure in online education, focusing on an adult English as a Second Language (ESL) program in Walton County, Florida, that was compelled to rapidly transition to online learning during the pandemic. The authors adopt Bielaczyc’s social infrastructure framework, which identifies the dimensions of social infrastructure required to integrate technology-based learning tools into online classrooms. These dimensions involve cultural beliefs, practices, socio-techno-spatial relations, and interaction with the outside world. The paper applies the framework to the adult ESL program in Walton County by analyzing student-teacher-cyberspace configurations, student interaction with the outside world, and bridging on-tool and off-tool learning activities. The authors assert that thriving online learning environments with technology-based tools must broaden beyond just the tools themselves and encompass the development of social infrastructure, which shapes the manner in which learners and instructors interact and acquire knowledge.