This project focuses on the design of an online version of Purdue University's English 10600-I, First Year Composition for International Students course. In order to determine the curriculum design approach that would be most likely to lead to student success, a thorough investigation into all relevant aspects of distance education was conducted. This involved approaching the subject matter from both theoretical and pragmatic perspectives. Literature pertaining to the history of distance education, the role of interaction in online learning, and the various categories of online interaction were reviewed. It was found that interaction is an important and necessary element in online learning. Yet, as Garrison and Cleveland-Innes noted in the title of their 2005 article, "interaction is not enough." Instead, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer proposed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework as a theoretical basis for distance education environments. At its core is the intersection of three types of online presence: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Each of these three elements is discussed in detail, including how they function both independently and interdependently to create a CoI. Since CoI has been linked to both student satisfaction and success, it was chosen as the theoretical basis for the online version of English 10600-I. It is hoped that the master course developed herein will be piloted by Purdue's Department of English. If utilized, future English 10600-I instructors could use the curriculum as a framework for their courses, expounding upon it as desired.

Keywords

English as a second language · educational technology · curriculum development