Community of Inquiry

Framework: Informing

Instructional Design and Teaching in

Online Courses

Jennifer RichardsonPhil IceMarti Cleveland-InnesKaren SwanPeter SheaSebastian Diaz

The importance of a community of inquiry is that, while the objective of critical reflection is intellectual autonomy, in reality, critical reflection is “thoroughly social and communal”.

--Lipman, 1991

Community of Inquiry

Social PresenceThe ability of participants in a community of inquiry to project themselves socially and emotionally as ‘real’ people (i.e., their full personality), through the medium of communication being used.

Cognitive PresenceThe extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry.

Teaching PresenceThe design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose

of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.

Community of Inquiry Framework

social presence

the ability of participants in a community of inquiry to project themselves socially and emotionally

-- as ‘real’ people;the degree to which participants in computer mediated communication feel socially and emotionally connected

SP Elements – affective expression, open communication (cohesiveness), group cohesion (interactivity)

affective expression: self-projection, paralanguage, self-disclosure, humor, expressing emotion, values

open communication: establishing trust, greetings & salutations, vocatives, group reference, social sharing

group cohesion: group interaction, collaboration, acknowledgement, approval, agreement/disagreement, invitation

Elements of Social Presence

social presence can be (strongly) felt by participants in computer-mediated communication (Walther, 1994; Gunawardena, 1995; Tu & McIsaac, 2002; Richardson & Swan, 2003)

and projected into text-based asynchronous discussion using verbal immediacy indicators alone

(Rourke, Anderson, Garrison & Archer, 2001; Swan, 2002; 2003)

Research Findings

perceptions of social presence are linked to student satisfaction in online courses (Gunawardena, Lowe & Anderson,1997; Tu, 2002; Richardson & Swan, 2003)

and to (perceived) learning from them (Walther, 1994; Gunawardena, 1995; Picciano, 2002; Richardson & Swan,

2003)

Research Findings

differences in effects of social presence of instructors & peers (Swan & Shih, 2005)

and interesting differences among student perceptions (Swan & Shih, 2005)

relationship of social presence to course design factors – social context, communication, interactivity (Tu, 2000; Tu & McIssac, 2002)

Research Findings

when multiple presences explored, social presence is associated with student satisfaction but not perceived learning (Akyol & Garrison, in press)

social presence is needed to create cognitive presence, but contingent on the establishment of teaching presence (Shea & Bidjeramo, in press)

Research Findings

Create a “Meet Your Classmates” section of your course where you and students introduce yourselves to one another.

Explicitly introduce students to the unique nature and learning potential of online discussion

Establish rules of Netiquette for your course. Develop initial course activities (e.g. ice breakers)

to encourage the development of swift trust. Model & encourage the use of verbal immediacy

behaviors in interactions with students. Encourage students to share experiences & beliefs

in online discussion.

Implications for Practice:Tips and Techniques

Make participation in discussion a significant part of course grades.

Require discussion participants to respond to their classmates postings &/or to respond to all responses to their own postings.

Make students responsible for sustaining discussion threads.

Make students summarize discussion threads. Require students to incorporate materials from

the discussions in their assignments. Encourage & support vicarious interaction. Use tracking mechanisms to reward reading as

well as responding to messages. Use short videos of yourself to introduce the

course and particular topics.

Tips and Techniques

Journal or otherwise interact with your students on an individual and personal basis.

Use audio to embed feedback on assignments within them.

Design community building activities. Design collaborative activities – problem

solving tasks, projects, small group discussion. Consider including real time communications

using applications such as chat, collaborative whiteboards, interactive video.

Consider incorporating Web 2.0 applications in course activities, especially social software such as blogs, wikis, YouTube, Flickr, MySpace, Second Life, etc.

Tips and Techniques

teaching presence

the design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes

elements – design and organization, facilitation, direct instruction

strong correlations between learner’s perceived & actual interactions w/ instructors and their perceived learning (Swan, Shea, Fredericksen, Pickett, Pelz & Maher, 2000; Jiang & Ting, 2000; Richardson & Swan, 2003)

strong correlations between all three elements of teaching presence and student satisfaction and perceived learning in online courses (Shea, Frederickson, Pickett & Pelz, 2003; Shea, Pickett & Pelz, 2004)

Research Findings

Teaching Presence: Instructors

Summer 2002 (n=1140)

Summer 2003 (n = 6088)

Satisfaction Per. Learn. Satisfaction Per. Learn.

r p r p r p r p

design & organization 0.64 < .01 0.59 < .01 0.64 < .01 0.6 < .01

facilitating discourse 0.64 < .01 0.58 < .01 0.61 < .01 0.58 < .01

direct instruction 0.64 < .01 0.61 < .01 0.63 < .01 0.61 < .01

(Shea et al, 2003, 2004)

Teaching Presence: Students

Summer 2002 (n = 1140)

Summer 2003 (n = 6088)

Satisfaction Per. Learn. Satisfaction Per. Learn.

r p r p r p r p

design & organization

facilitating discourse .36 < .01 .37 < .01 .41 < .01 .43 < .01

direct instruction .39 < .01 .39 < .01 .40 < .01 .43 < .01

(Shea et al, 2003, 2004)

students receiving instructor delivered corrective feedback outperform students using web-based exemplary models (Riccomini, 2002)

students interacting on instructor supported homework discussion board outperform students just visiting; both outperform students using a third party homework site (Kashy, Albertelli, Bauer, Kashy & Thoennessen,2003)

Research Findings

importance of instructors restraining themselves in online discussion to encourage student voices (Vandergrift, 2002)

importance of applying principles of collaborative learning to online discussion & small group activities -- structuring interaction in authentic tasks, applying questioning strategies, role assignment, interdependence, reflection (Wu, 2003)

Restrained Presence & Collaborative Principals

clear structure navigational transparency consistency communication potential active learning

(Romiszowski & Cheng, 1991; Eastmond, 1995; Irani, 1998; Swan, Shea, Frederickson, Pickett, Pelz & Maher, 2000; Picciano, 2002)

Research Findings:Course Design

Provide frequent opportunities for both public and private interactions with students.

Provide students with timely & supportive feedback.

Restrain from being overly “present” in online discussions, rather facilitate student interaction.

Apply collaborative learning principles to support small group discussion and collaborative projects.

Design diverse, graded activities to be completed every week.

Implications for Practice:Tips & Techniques

Design courses for learner choice, flexibility & control.

Design and review courses for clarity & consistency.

Ensure courses are well organized and that the organization is clear to students & easy to navigate.

Clearly state course goals and instructional expectations.

Provide a detailed course schedule including due dates for all assignments.

Provide students with explicit and redundant instructions for all course activities.

Tips & Techniques

Provide clear grading guidelines including rubrics for complex assignments.

Review changing faculty roles and reflect on your own cognitive, affective & managerial behaviors.

Develop forums or learning communities for online faculty to share experiences & support one another.

Tips & Techniques

cognitive presence

the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through

sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry

elements – triggering event, exploration, integration, resolution

practical inquiry model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000)

Shared World Discourse

Private World ReflectionDeliberation(Applicability)

Perception(Awareness)

Action(Practice)

Conception(Ideas)EXPERIENCE

EXPLORATION

TRIGGERING EVENT RESOLUTION

INTEGRATION

When questions specifically asked students to engage in practical applications, discussions did progress to the synthesis and resolution phase (Arnold & Ducate, 2006)

Again, where learners specifically were tasked to formulate and resolve a problem, “participants engaged more in problem resolution than in problem formulation” (Murphy, 2003)

A recent study supports this finding where the frequency of integration contributions were considerably higher than exploration due largely to the task (assignment requiring resolution) (Akyol & Garrison, in press)

Cognitive Presence and Tasks

Cognitive presence was significantly associated with teaching presence, perceived learning and satisfaction (Akyol & Garrison, 2008; Shea et al. 2004, 2005)

The lowest cognitive presence scores … were reported by students who rated their instructors’ skills in this area of teaching presence as weak (Shea & Bidjeramo, 2007)

Cognitive Presence &Teaching Presence

concept & process scaffolds (Wong-Busby, 2006)

peer review -- Bloom’s taxonomy (Ertmer, Richardson, Belland, Coulthard, Camin & Mong, 2006)

subject line (Pelz, 2004)

assessment (Swan, Schenker, Arnold & Kuo, 2007)

Scaffolding Online Discussion

learning concepts vs. learning techniques (Parker & Gemino, 2001; Picciano, 2002)

multiple perspectives (Picciano, 2002)

disciplined inquiry – reflection and interaction (Benbunan-Fich & Hiltz, 1999; Garrison, 2003)

automated mastery learning (Twigg, 2003)

Research Findings: Content

MODALITY better transfer from animation and narration than from animation and text

CONTIGUITY better transfer when narration and animation are presented simultaneously rather than sequentially

MULTIMEDIA better transfer from animation and narration rather than from narration alone

PERSONALIZATION better transfer when narration is conversational rather than formal

COHERENCE better transfer when irrelevant video, narration, and/or sounds are excluded

REDUNDANCY better transfer from animation and narration than from animation, narration and on-screen text

PRETRAINING better transfer when explanations of system components precedes rather than follows a narrated animation

SIGNALING better transfer when different parts of a narration are signaled

PACING better transfer when the pace of presentation is learner controlled

multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001)

Identify big ideas you want students to take away from your course and develop major course activities around their assessment.

Identify important knowledge, skills & attitudes students should learn and develop additional course activities around their assessment.

Provide multiple representations of the knowledge you want students to learn and multiple activities for practicing desired skills.

Applications for Practice:Tips & Techniques

Encourage experimentation, divergent thinking & multiple perspectives in online discussion through provocative, open-ended questions.

Model, support & encourage diverse points of view in online discussion.

Require discussion summaries that identify steps in the knowledge creation process.

Use content & process scaffolds to support discourse behaviors.

Use peer review of discussion postings to shape responses.

Use online discussion & writing activities to support conceptual learning and divergent thinking.

Tips & Techniques

Use self-testing, practice assignments, simulations & other interactive activities to support skill development & convergent thinking.

Develop grading rubrics for discussion & course activities that reward desired cognitive behaviors.

Provide frequent opportunities for testing & feedback.

Automate testing & feedback when possible.

Develop general learning modules with opportunities for active learning, assessment & feedback that can be shared among courses &/or accessed by students for remediation or enrichment.

Tips & Techniques

Present words in spoken form, use words and pictures simultaneously to explain concepts.

Avoid extraneous video & audio, do not add redundant on-screen text.

Begin presentations with descriptions of components & organization.

Allow learners to control the pace of presentations.

Tips & Techniques

Emotion and Learning

Barry Kort, Rob Reilly, Rosalind W. Picard, "An Affective Model of Interplay between Emotions and Learning: Reengineering Educational Pedagogy-Building a Learning Companion," icalt, p. 0043,  Second IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT'01),  2001

Integral Emotional Presence

Emotional PresenceEmotion was expressed when connecting with other students. (EP in SP)

The instructor acknowledged emotion expressed online by students. (EP in TP)

Expressing emotion in relation to expressing ideas was acceptable in this course. (EP in CP)

I felt comfortable expressing emotion through the online medium. (EP in SP)

The instructor demonstrated emotion in online presentations and/or discussions. (EP in TP)

I found myself responding emotionally about ideas or learning activities in this course. (EP in CP).

Emotion was expressed when connecting with other students.

I felt comfortable expressing emotion through the online medium.

.665

.645

Social Presence

The instructor acknowledged emotion expressed by students.

I found myself responding emotionally about ideas/learning activities in this course.

The instructor demonstrated emotion in online presentations and/or discussions

• .668

• 591

• .573

Teaching Presence

Expressing emotion in relation to discussing ideas was acceptable in this course.

.420

Cognitive Presence

Designing for Social, Teaching and Cognitive Presence

ACTIVITY 1

COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY

Instrument Development and Recent Research

December 2006 – Development of a unified Community of Inquiry Survey instrument Review of previous research and commonality of items Common survey items agreed upon where existing

items were worded differently; New items developed where needed

Spring 2007 - Beta testing of common instrument Factor analysis reviewed, select items revised and new items

added Summer 2007 - Data collected across spectrum

of courses at 4 institutions in the USA and Canada Items randomized to reduce order-related biases

Instrument Development

n = 287 Principal Component Procedure Oblique rotation utilized (which,

in contrast to Orthogonal, does NOT assume factors are uncorrelated to one another).

SPSS version 15 utilized

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Teaching Presence Items

1 2 3

1. The instructor clearly communicated important course topics. 0.826 0.088 0.067

2. The instructor clearly communicated important course goals. 0.877 -0.021 0.046

3. The instructor provided clear instructions on how to participate in course learning activities. 0.592 0.246 -0.035

4. The instructor clearly communicated important due dates/time frames for learning activities. 0.611 0.078 0.040

5. The instructor was helpful in identifying areas of agreement and disagreement on course topics that helped me to learn. 0.579 0.162 -0.138

6. The instructor was helpful in guiding the class towards understanding course topics in a way that helped me clarify my thinking. 0.575 0.091 -0.281

7. The instructor helped to keep course participants engaged and participating in productive dialogue. 0.633 0.149 -0.160

8. The instructor helped keep the course participants on task in a way that helped me to learn. 0.579 0.042 -0.285

9. The instructor encouraged course participants to explore new concepts in this course. 0.523 0.099 -0.233

10. Instructor actions reinforced the development of a sense of community among course participants. 0.569 0.174 -0.176

11. The instructor helped to focus discussion on relevant issues in a way that helped me to learn. 0.425 0.146 -0.374

12. The instructor provided feedback that helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses relative to the course’s goals and objectives. 0.649 -0.123 -0.201

13. The instructor provided feedback in a timely fashion. 0.513 -0.025 -0.103

SOCIAL PRESENCE ITEMS1 2 3

14. Getting to know other course participants gave me a sense of belonging in the course. 0.050 0.619 -0.233

15. I was able to form distinct impressions of some course participants. 0.172 0.473 0.013

16. Online or web-based communication is an excellent medium for social interaction. -0.181 0.674 -0.226

17. I felt comfortable conversing through the online medium. -0.039 0.814 0.015

18. I felt comfortable participating in the course discussions. 0.109 0.788 0.005

19. I felt comfortable interacting with other course participants. 0.286 0.701 0.038

20. I felt comfortable disagreeing with other course participants while still maintaining a sense of trust.

0.103 0.620 -0.034

21. I felt that my point of view was acknowledged by other course participants. 0.319 0.556 0.025

22. Online discussions help me to develop a sense of collaboration. 0.047 0.561 -0.340

COGNITIVE PRESENCE ITEMS

1 2 3

23. Problems posed increased my interest in course issues. -0.099 0.172 -0.785

24. Course activities piqued my curiosity. 0.064 0.070 -0.712

25. I felt motivated to explore content related questions. 0.082 -0.031 -0.770

26. I utilized a variety of information sources to explore problems posed in this course. 0.078 -0.158 -0.759

27. Brainstorming and finding relevant information helped me resolve content related questions. -0.106 0.130 -0.794

28. Online discussions were valuable in helping me appreciate different perspectives. -0.096 0.286 -0.699

29. Combining new information helped me answer questions raised in course activities. 0.101 0.043 -0.716

30. Learning activities helped me construct explanations/solutions. 0.128 0.030 -0.732

31. Reflection on course content and discussions helped me understand fundamental concepts in this class. 0.008 0.237 -0.640

32. I can describe ways to test and apply the knowledge created in this course. 0.239 -0.097 -0.619

33. I have developed solutions to course problems that can be applied in practice. 0.147 0.026 -0.653

34. I can apply the knowledge created in this course to my work or other non-class related activities. 0.171 -0.041 -0.687

n=413 Students Completed the CoI from 2

perspectives: Students use CoI items used to describe the

course Students rate the relative importance of each

of the CoI itemsOrdinal Scale Utilized: Unimportant; Somewhat

Important; Important; Very Important; Extremely Important

Ordinal Scale designed more so for amplifying the variance as opposed to measuring definitively the students’ perceptions of importance

Example of Further Research

3.0000

3.2000

3.4000

3.6000

3.8000

4.0000

4.2000

4.4000

Teaching Presence

Social Presence

Cognitive Presence

Course Evaluation

Importance of Item

Course Evaluations and Importance Ratings Compared

Implementing the CoI Framework and Survey

ACTIVITY 2A

Current CoI Research

and Best Practices

Reflective learning/co-construction of knowledge not “inevitable consequence” of allowing students to interact

Cognitive Presence in Online Education

Study

Survey of online college studentsUS online higher education system

35 colleges, 2 yr, 4yr, grad100,000 enrollments per year2000 online faculty4000 online course per year

Random sample 2159 respondents Hypotheses…

Teaching Presence

Instructor:clearly communicates important course topicsclearly communicates important course goalsprovides clear instructions on how to participate in course learning activitiesclearly communicates important due dates/time frames for learning activitiesidentifies areas of agreement and disagreement guides the class towards understanding course topics

Teaching Presence leads to…

Social Presence

Getting to know other course participants provides a sense of belongingAbility to form distinct impressions of some course participantsPerception that online or web-based communication is good medium for social interactionComfort conversing through the online mediumComfort participating in the course discussions

Social Presence combines with teaching presence to foster…

Cognitive Presence

Online discussions were valuable in helping appreciate different perspectivesCombining new information helps answer questions raised in course activitiesLearning activities help construct explanations/solutionsReflection on course content and discussions help understand fundamental concepts I can describe ways to test and apply the knowledge created in this courseI can develop solutions to course problems that can be applied in practiceI can apply the knowledge created in the course to work or other non-class related activities

Table 1: Results from principal axis factoring with Oblimin rotations Item Cognitive

Presence Teaching Presence

Social Presence

1. The instructor clearly communicated important course topics. -.07 -.88 -.01

2. The instructor clearly communicated important course goals. -.07 -.84 .03

3. The instructor provided clear instructions on how to participate in course learning activities. -.08 -.80 .06

4. The instructor clearly communicated important due dates/time frames for learning activities.

-.07 -.74 .05

5. The instructor was helpful in identifying areas of agreement and disagreement on course topics that helped me to learn.

.02 -.86 -.01

6. The instructor was helpful in guiding the class towards understanding course topics in a way that helped me clarify my thinking.

.09 -.87 -.09

7. The instructor helped to keep course participants engaged and participating in productive dialogue.

-.01 -.85 .03

8. The instructor helped keep the course participants on task in a way that helped me to learn.

.02 -.87 .01

9. The instructor encouraged course participants to explore new concepts in this course.

.12 -.77 -.02

10. Instructor actions reinforced the development of a sense of community among course participants.

.03 -.79 .08

11. The instructor helped to focus discussion on relevant issues in a way that helped me to learn.

.11 -.74 .03

12. The instructor provided feedback that helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses.

.09 -.75 -.05

13. The instructor provided feedback in a timely fashion. .03 -.75 -.06

14. Getting to know other course participants gave me a sense of belonging in the course.

.25 -.05 .41

15. I was able to form distinct impressions of some course participants. .28 -.01 .40

16. Online or web-based communication is an excellent medium for social interaction.

.18 -.01 .50

17. I felt comfortable conversing through the online medium. -.03 -.05 .81

18. I felt comfortable participating in the course discussions. -.06 -.04 .87

19. I felt comfortable interacting with other course participants. -.08 -.02 .94

20. I felt comfortable disagreeing with other course participants while still maintaining a sense of trust.

-.01 .01 .78

21. I felt that my point of view was acknowledged by other course participants.

.03 .00 .78

22. Online discussions help me to develop a sense of collaboration .08 -.01 .75

23. Problems posed increased my interest in course issues. .67 .01 .09

24. Course activities piqued my curiosity. .75 -.05 .03

25. I felt motivated to explore content related questions. .79 -.02 .02

TeachingPresence

q12.38

q11.28

q10.24

q9.27

q8.18

q7.23

q6.19

q5.24

q4.53

q3.43

q2.40

q1.37

.89

1

.85

1

.87

1

.85

1

.90

1

.881

.901

.87

1.69

1

1

.78

1

.80

1

q13.46

.74

1

CognitivePresence

q34 .44

q33 .39

q32 .40

q31 .27

q30 .27

q29 .29

q28 .49

q27 .44

q26 .47

q25 .34

q24 ..36

q23 .48

.75

1

.78

1

.781

.851

.86

1.84

1

.72

1

.75

1

.721

.81

1

.80

1

.72

1

SocialPresence

q22

.40

q21

.38

q20

.41

q19

.18

q18

.29

q17

.27

q16

.62

q15

.67

q14

.65

.77

1

.78

1

.77

1

.91

1

.86

1

.85

1

.62

1

.58

1

.59

1

.52(.49)**

Gender Age AcademicLevel

.06(.0

4)*

.02(.08)**

.00(.01)

.06*

.00

.22**

.75

.52(

.52)

**

.49(

.47)

**

CHAID Analysis

What item level responses predict the most variance in cognitive presence?

CHAID

Conclusions

Lower level of comfort with online discussion = lower levels of cognitive presence

Active instructor role focusing online discussions = higher cognitive presence

Recommendations

Using the model as a lens through which to make instructional design choices is one option

CoI can serve as a conceptual touchstone for online instructional design

Focus on teaching and social presence can guide the integration of new technologies in online education

Before adopting new technologies for online instruction consider how these innovations support the development of teaching and social presence

Exploring Causal Relationships

Among Teaching, Cognitive and Social

Presence

Teaching Online

Despite the considerable, growing interest in online education, most studies have

focused only on the students’ perspective. Merely a handful of studies have

attempted to address the teachers’ perspectives and little has been published

on the online teaching experience itself.

Gudea, 2008

Findings

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

social cognitive teaching emotion

combined

Q6 Q11 Q19 Q23 Q25 Q26 Q27

Q2

Q29

Q7

Q8

Q10

Q14

Q15

Q20

Q22

Q24

Q5

Q33

Q1

Q30

Q4

Q12

Q13

Q16

Q17

Q18

Q21

Q28

Q3

Q32

.41* .59* .67* .82* .68* .68* .49*

.40(.10)*

.57*

.77*

.77*

.76*

.70*

.71*

.51*

.58*

.74*

.66*

.73*

.50*

.52(.11)*

.51(.09)*

.74*

.55*

.71*

.44*

.72*

.72*

.75*

.78*

.74*

.70*

.83*

.86* .03(.07)

-.02(.07)

-.04(.07)

-.03(.05) .03(.07)

.10(.05)*

Figure 2: Model of the relationships among teaching, cognitive and social presence

Q31 Q34

.80* . 70*

* Significant at .05

Q9 .64

Gender Program

Program Gender

1.00 1.00

( ) Standard Error

SOCIAL PRESENCE

COGNITIVE PRESENCE

TEACHING PRESENCE

Next Steps

Further research is called for in exploring the dynamic relationships among the presences across disciplines and institutions. Moreover, each of the presences represent complex concepts consisting of sub-elements (i.e., categories) that need further study to confirm the existence of these categories and explore the dynamic relationships of specific categories across the presences.

Garrison, Cleveland-Innes & Fung, in press

Using the CoI to Assess the Impact

of New Technologies

Audio Feedback

The following slides compare the findings of a multi-institutional CoI instrument validation (n = 1041) and responses from the aforementioned study (n = 1138) that received audio feedback In the items addressed there was a significant difference (p > .05) in responses

Teaching Presence 1

The instructor was helpful in identifying areas of agreement and disagreement on course topics that helped me to learn.

Summer 2007 / mean = 4.12Audio group / mean = 4.43

Teaching Presence 2

The instructor encouraged course participants to explore new concepts in this course.

Summer 2007 / mean = 4.44Audio group / mean = 4.58

Teaching Presence 3

The instructor provided feedback that helped me understand my strengths and weaknesses relative to the course’s goals and objectives.

Summer 2007 / mean = 4.28Audio group / mean = 4.57

Social Presence

Online or web-based communication is an excellent medium for social interaction.

Summer 2007 / mean = 3.90Audio group / mean = 4.27

Cognitive Presence 1

I felt motivated to explore content related questions.

Summer 2007 / mean = 4.31Audio group / mean = 4.55

Cognitive Presence 2

Reflection on course content and discussions helped me understand fundamental concepts in this class.

Summer 2007 / mean = 4.37Audio group / mean = 4.49

Collaborative TechnologiesTwo online, graduate level education courses (combined n=78) students were asked to complete assignments (mean page count = 9.75 pages), alternating Word and Buzzword as the creation and submission mechanism.

Buzzword is an online document editor that is a part of Acrobat.com

Document Analysis

average use of non-text based resources (e.g. hyperlinks, graphics, tables, etc.) was 5.1 for Word submissions and 14.3 for Buzzword based submissions.

Cognitive Presence Indicators

Exploration Integration Resolution

Word 10.8 3.3 2.3

Buzzword 11.2 6.2 5.1

Improving Teaching Presence

in a Virtual Classroom at

Lawrence Technological

University

Lawrence Technological University:Located 5 miles North of Detroit in Southfield,

MichiganFour Colleges:

Architecture Engineering Management Arts and Sciences

4,500 Students Over 60 degree programs Offering Associate, Bachelor, Master and

Doctoral degrees

81

About Lawrence Tech

Results: Course Satisfaction & Knowledge

Amount of teaching presence is significantly related to the level of course satisfaction and course knowledge.

Students who are satisfied with the course and the knowledge acquired perceive high teaching presence.

Results: Learning Context

Amount of teaching presence is significantly related to the type of learning context.

Students who prefer online learning context perceive low teaching presence.

Results: Probability of Future Online Course

Amount of teaching presence is significantly related to the probability of future behavior.

Students who are likely to take an online course in the future perceive low teaching presence.

• The research showed that teaching presence is most important to student satisfaction.

• Students who were dissatisfied (more than half) indicated that instructors need to do more to improve teaching presence to promote interest and increase effort by ensuring student satisfaction of the learning experience.

• General Recommendations: Required versus optional instructor training Focus on improving teaching performance Include specific education and training as they relate

to Social, Cognitive and Teaching Presences

Implications

Social Presence: The ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g.

course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop interpersonal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities. The instructor must provide a learning environment based on trust at

the onset of the course and continue to promote an ongoing ‘safe atmosphere’ for learning Students are shown respect and treated as equals Everyone’s opinions are welcomed and valued Students feel their point of view is acknowledged

The instructor sets the pace by inviting collaboration and healthy debate Students feel comfortable conversing online and interacting with others Students feel safe to disagree with others and healthy conflict is encouraged

Applications

Cognitive Presence: The extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm

meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry. The instructor maintains a learning environment that captures the

learners attention and promotes their curiosity for learning Instructor finds creative ways to peak the students interest and attention Instructor encourages creativity in problem solving and brainstorming

activities Instructor finds novel ways to motivate students to explore course content

The instructor encourages understanding through reflection Instructor provides feedback to ensure an understanding of concepts Varied activities and discussions help students learn from other perspectives

and construct viable solutions

87

Applications

Teaching Presence: The design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the

purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes.

The instructor leads the course experience Effectively communicates course objectives, goals and topics Provides instructions for assignments, due dates and expectations Sets the climate, structures and process for the course Provides feedback in a timely manner

The instructor finds meaningful ways to ensure satisfaction with the learning experience by engaging students Students see relevance in the learning to their profession Discussions are focused on current and relevant issues Instructor helps students to further develop their strengths and improve their

weaknesses Instructor encourages students to explore and think ‘outside the box’

Hawaii International Conference on Business – May 2008

8888

Applications

Revisiting Activity 2a:Implementing the CoIFramework and Survey

ACTIVITY 2b

Learning space or social space?

“Their use of the medium was functional, organized, time-driven, and carefully evaluated.” (Conrad, 2002)

Manage “pathological politeness”

Build community “judiciously” (takes time)

Nature of a CoI?

Purpose can be the basis of shared social identity (SP?).

If the purpose of SP is to communicate and collaborate, salient group identity will increase group cohesion.

A “salient personal identity could in fact undermine the shared group identity” (p. 153)

Rogers & Lea, 2005

Social Presence and Group Identity

What is the role of teaching presence? How essential is TP?

Can we over-emphasize teaching presence?

CoI Framework

The body of evidence is growing rapidly attesting to the importance of teaching presence for successful online learning …

The consensus is that teaching presence is a significant determinate of student satisfaction, perceived learning, and sense of community.

How Essential?

What’s Next for the CoI Model?

Be sure to visit the website:

http://www.communitiesofinquiry.com/

Jennifer Richardson jennrich@purdue.edu

Phil Ice pice@apus.edu

Marti Cleveland-Innes martic@athabascau.ca

Karen Swan kswan@kent.edu

Peter Shea pshea@uamail.albany.edu

Sebastian Diaz sebastian.diaz@mail.wvu.edu

Contact Information