448 Copyright © 2016, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 18 DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9582-5.ch018 Building Relationship Through Learning Communities and Participation in Online Learning Environments: Building Interactions in Online Learning ABSTRACT With the increase demand for distance education, institutions of higher education are actively exploring opportunities to weave self, subject and students for web based distance education. The pedagogical skills necessary to create efective active learning opportunities are explored throughout this chapter as well as lessons learned from research. The authors used vignettes to position efective course design and implementation aligned with both Bloom’s Taxonomy and the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modifcation, Redefnition) model to enhance online learning environments. Learning objectives and course goals provided direction for developing task for social presence, cognitive presence and a col- laborative stance in authentic online learning. INTRODUCTION Good teachers join self, subject, and students in the fabric of life… Palmer, 1999, p. 11 This quote is as true in an online learning en- vironment as it is in the traditional brick and mortar classroom. In essence, “All education- face- to-face, distance mode, online- requires understanding the nature of the medium in order to conceptualize and design it as an educational environment” (Harasim, 1995, p 138). Due to the increase demand for distance education, institu- tions of higher education are actively exploring Victoria Cardullo Auburn University, USA Megan Burton Auburn University, USA