eLearning: from social presence to co-creation in virtual education community

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present an example of how the synergy of different competences in students' teams, out-of-the-box thinking style and various motivation factors in a culturally diverse learning environment is the foundation for knowledge construction, driven by the idea generation process and co-creation – the so-called Medici effect, one of the benchmarks for excellence in eLearning. Design/methodology/approach Developing this case study in the area of eLearning and Virtual Education Community (VEC) involves passing through various stages: from providing social presence and cooperation of students to co-creation in the eLearning environment by contriving “e-students” in the VEC whose profiles and learning processes are managed by pairs/teams of real students with different experiences and types of behaviour. Findings The paper presents outcomes of the research focused on the formation of the VEC for students who are motivated in sharing common passions and principles, in developing good communicator-and-listener techniques, in studying and creating situations of success. Practical implications In order to use and promote this pedagogical approach, enhancement of the desk-top technology is needed in terms of a user-friendly interface for creating a VEC where everyone, including people with special needs, feels comfortable, interested, and motivated to communicate, learn, construct, and share knowledge. Originality/value The original “4A” (attention, actualization, attraction, and action) pedagogical model applied in eLearning is aimed at ensuring students' social and cognitive presence through their e-profiles for self-assessment and positioning, adjusting learning trajectories and monitoring learning results, as well as assessing progress and final outcomes of learning.