Creating Community of Inquiry
A Brief Overview of Community of Inquiry
The Community of Inquiry framework is developed to inform research into online learning (Garrison et al., 2000). by combine three types of presence in order to build a community that has meaning learning. By taking social, cognitive, and teaching presence into consideration, the learning experience can become much more meaningful for the learner.
There was a shift in which online education began to focus on pedagogy and students, rather than on “what technology can do”, which we had an interesting and similar discussion last week reflecting on this idea.
The shift mentioned above had two areas of focus, which were "Interaction" and "Community of Inquiry" (CoI), meaning there was a move in online education towards emphasizing:
• Communication and interactions being necessary for successful online learning
• "Healthy" learning communities defining the level of interactions needed
Teachers in an online learning environment should consider the element of “teaching presence” in CoI’s framework, which is related to assessment, construction, facilitation, and organization in the online environment. In order to meaningfully assess student learning, it is crucial for students to receive feedback, for it clarifies expectations, encourages teacher-student communication, can help educators improve on their practice, and “facilitates self-assessment and reflection”
The CoI framework supports guided inquiry by identifying teaching activity and provides guidance, based on theory and practice, on content and processes for blended learning. In keeping with the original three presences of the CoI framework (social presence, cognitive presence and teaching presence), blended learning using the CoI framework creates opportunities for self-reflection, active cognitive processing, interaction and peer-teaching. In addition, expert guidance from teachers at the right time encourages engagement and shared application activities, highlighting the importance of creating communities of inquiry in the classroom — whether face-to-face, online or blended. Creating communities of inquiry in blended learning is one of the most researched pedagogical approaches in universities and colleges.
How can you apply CoI in your classroom?
On May 27, 2015, Joe Ruhl, a biology teacher for 37+ years did a TEDtalk regarding how he used CoI to teach his class collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity in his classroom.
How can you apply CoI in the online environment?
With the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been many challenges that teachers have when teaching students in an online environment. Students often feel disengaged, alienated, and unmotivated in the classroom. Michelle Pacansky-Brock offers great advice on how to create a rich community online learning experience while applying CoI.