2015-06-182015-05http://hdl.handle.net/2346/62362Enrollment in online learning continues to grow each year among institutions of higher education, but especially among community colleges within the United States. This continued growth in enrollment validates the flexibility and convenience benefits of online learning for both learners and instructors; however, documented challenges in the literature continue to exist. One such challenge is learner feelings’ of isolation from the instructor and other learners within online courses. The purpose of this experimental study was to examine potential differences between a treatment group using video/audio communication and a control group using written communication on learners’ perceived feelings of connectedness, course satisfaction, participation, and achievement in an online community college algebra course. Despite no significant effect findings on all dependent variables, learners perceived that the use of video/audio communication was helpful in creating a sense of connectedness with the instructor and other learners in the course; and the results revealed implications for practice and suggestions for further research.application/pdfengOnline LearningConnectednessIsolationCommunity CollegeMathematicsHigher EducationCommunicationThesisUnrestricted.