Ng, Connie, and David Hung. "Conceptualizing a framework for design of online communities." International Journal on E-Learning. Vol. 2. No. 4. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), 2003.

This paper delves into the factors contributing to the success of some online communities over others, focusing on levels of participation as a key metric of community health. Through a detailed analysis, the paper aims to extract valuable design principles that could be beneficially applied to online learning communities. To structure this analysis, the study employs a conceptual framework that merges Activity Theory with the core principles of learning communities. This innovative approach allows for a nuanced understanding of the dynamics at play in online community engagement and offers a pathway for enhancing the design and functionality of online learning environments.