ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the theoretical foundation and rationale for developing culturally inclusive online communities. It addresses sociocultural theories that describe learning within a community and distance education frameworks and principles that guide the design of online learning communities in distributed networks. The chapter focuses on theories and philosophies that explain how people learn from one another in diverse, networked, online environments. It discusses how distance education theory, principles, and research have provided guidance for designing online learning communities. The distance education theoretical principles discussed in the chapter provide guidance on how to design collaborative learning experiences in online networks. The chapter concludes by providing in a summary of theoretical foundations, along with their implications for the WisCom framework and culturally inclusive online learning designs. The WisCom framework guides interaction in a supportive, collaborative community. It prioritizes collaborative knowledge-building and ongoing formative assessment, feedback, and support from facilitators, mentors, and experts.
