http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org A community of inquiry for the Community of Inquiry model. en-ca Site content and materials shared by the community are licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Tue, 03 Mar 2026 19:38:00 GMT Reference/Education/Methods_and_Theories https://cyber.harvard.edu/rss/rss.html dwilton@athabascau.ca (Dan Wilton) dwilton@athabascau.ca (Dan Wilton) 60 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/interface/images/logosmall.coi.png http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org 144 144 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial47 We are organizing a doctoral-level literature seminar series designed to engage critically with key publications, connect with leading scholars, and explore emerging developments in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. The series is designed for doctoral students interested in the foundations, evolution, and application of the CoI framework. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance, which may be transferable to a course, individual study, or professional development program—depending on ... Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:14:03 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial47 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial46 A decade after the publication of the seminal article describing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson Archer, 2000), we provided a personal perspective concerning its development and acceptance (Garrison, Anderson Archer, 2010). This was included in a special issue of the Internet and Higher Education that looked back on the contributions of this work to online and blended learning (Swan Ice, 2010). While most were familiar with the interdependent core elements or presences of the framework (social, cognitive and teaching), we thought it important to emphasize the generic nature of the framework that is grounded in traditional theories of teaching and learning consistent with Dewey's work on community and practical inquiry. In this regard, while the framework has been applied largely in online and blended learning environments, it should not be seen to be limited to such contexts. ... Wed, 01 May 2024 16:19:06 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial46 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial45 We are happy to share the release of our new book, The Design of Digital Learning Environments: Online and Blended Applications of the Community of Inquiry ! Within this book, 26 researchers consolidate the CoI framework and confirm it through rigorous research and testing so that it is applicable in practice. The Design of Digital Learning Environments provides comprehensive guidelines for creating and delivering high-quality online and blended learning ... Wed, 31 Jan 2024 13:14:08 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial45 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial44 Artificial intelligence brings increasing attention to critical thinking and discourse. From an educational perspective, my rationale is that the community of inquiry framework, whose essence is critical thinking from an integrated personal and shared experience, is distinctly positioned to critically and creatively utilize the potential and risks of AI. My goal is to explore the dynamics and guiding principles in monitoring and managing AI output in educational contexts. I begin with an update on shared metacognition in a community of inquiry that provides a jumping off point for the discussion of why shared metacognition and collaborative inquiry is of great relevance as we enter the age of artificial intelligence. For those who may need an overview or refresh their memory and understanding of the Shared Metacognition construct, you can find a brief ... Wed, 01 Nov 2023 16:14:57 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial44 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial43 My previous editorial addressed the generic nature of the CoI framework. Given the relevance and validity of the CoI framework in face-to-face settings, this editorial considers the comparison of text and linguistic discourse to online and face-to-face contexts. More specifically, this editorial brings renewed attention to Social Presence (SP) such that it would benefit from greater clarification. As important as SP is in the functioning of a purposeful community of inquiry (CoI),we noted early on that it can also be a distraction regarding the central purpose of a learning community. To this point it is important to keep in mind that the inquiry process is the core purpose and function of a CoI. Social and Teaching Presence are functions that together support collaborative inquiry (Cognitive Presence) manifested in the form of personal reflection and shared collaboration (Practical Inquiry model). In this way Practical inquiry (CP) reflects ... Tue, 03 Oct 2023 16:50:45 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial43 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial42 I think it is safe to say that the general perception of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is that it is specific to an online or at best blended learning environment. The reality is, however, that the CoI framework is grounded in the higher education literature and was justified as being consistent with a traditional higher education experience. In the seminal article that introduced the CoI framework (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 2000) we noted the generic nature of the framework; notwithstanding we were using it to guide us in designing collaborative and constructivist online learning experiences. The latent nature of this important characteristic in our publications has largely limited the generalization and adoption of the CoI framework to broader constructivist educational contexts. As the CoI framework became more prominent in designing and studying online learning, I did make modest efforts to emphasize that based on its ... Tue, 01 Aug 2023 15:54:17 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial42 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial41 Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topic within many professions in terms of considering the transformational implications for practice. Interest in AI has grown dramatically with the emergence of ChatGPT (AI conversational chatbot) – a generative AI tool that can be trained and capable of creating content. In some areas such as medicine it is perhaps easier to see the benefits of a conversational tool that can access vast amounts of information and assimilate a coherent representation and possible diagnosis. However, in professions such as education the implications are not so clear. A core question many educators are asking is what impact will AI and tools such as ChatGPT have on deep and meaningful learning and specifically educational communities? The focus here is to explore the potential benefits and threats in creating and sustaining communities of inquiry that support critical thinking, collaborative discourse and ... Fri, 19 May 2023 16:25:55 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial41 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial40 In previous posts specific to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework I offered evidence of its general confirmation, theoretical updates, questionnaire validation, and use in professional development including design principles. The conclusion of this work is that the CoI framework has been widely adopted and shown to be well researched and theoretically relevant for online and blended learning. In general, we have documented the growing evidence of its construct validity ( https://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial20 ). Furthermore, I don’t want to miss the opportunity to emphasize the generic nature of the CoI framework. The assumptions and principles were derived and are appropriate for most educational environments, and therefore, not exclusive to online learning. The bottom line is that with the transformational shift to blended learning that includes online and ... Tue, 18 Apr 2023 17:19:22 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial40 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial39 The cognitive presence (CP) construct describes the essence of the inquiry process within a community of learners. That is, it reflects a process that fuses individual reflection in constructing personal meaning with collaboratively confirming understanding amongst other learners through critical discourse. This includes the dynamic and responsibility of self and co-regulation of purposeful inquiry. From a broader perspective, cognitive presence “is a self-correcting process where members of the community challenge beliefs, suggest alternative perspectives for exploration and negotiate understanding” (Garrison, 2017, p.51). To be clear, the CP construct is operationalized by the Practical Inquiry model and its four phases of collaborative inquiry (Triggering Event, Exploration, Integration, Resolution). The challenge that we experienced in our early community of inquiry (CoI) research was moving students expeditiously through to ... Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:09:02 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial39 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial38 The evidence is becoming clear regarding the success or failure of online learning duringCOVID-19. Notwithstanding the challenges of time constraints and professional development support associated with mounting online learning environments, the primary educational lesson from the forced adoption of online learning duringCOVID-19 is that there was a lack of understanding and appreciation for the value of engagement in discourse grounded in a secure learning community. I argue here that the evidence is growing that insufficient engagement in online learning environments during the covid pandemic resulted in unsatisfactory deep and meaningful learning experiences and outcomes. I use the term engagement in the broadest sense and suggest that deep and meaningful engagement is best achieved in a learning community as described by the Community of Inquiry (CoI)framework. My conclusion is that the educational response to COVID-19 forced an online ... Wed, 07 Dec 2022 19:16:28 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial38 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project9 As a part of this doctoral thesis students’ teaching presence were studied. The purpose of the thesis has been to explore how students support their own and other students' process of inquiry while engaging in online tutoring sessions, as well as to study how their support can be connected to students’ expressions of teaching presence. In order to study students’ interactions, chat messages were collected from an online text-based chat system. The method of transcript analysis from the Relationship of Inquiry (RoI) framework, the coding scheme developed in the frame of this thesis, was used to analyze the data. The RoI framework is adapted from the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, adjusted for the case of only one student and one teacher, such as tutoring sessions where the student and the tutor are encouraged to create a relationship of inquiry. The RoI framework adopted the three presences from the CoI framework, but also added the fourth element emotional presence. Using the developed ... Thu, 13 Oct 2022 19:06:30 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project9 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial37 Recently a graduate student interviewed me about the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and the issue of motivation. This caused me to reflect on work that I had done on the topic of motivation earlier in my career that had indirectly contributed to foundational ideas associated with the CoI framework (Garrison Archer, 2000). Motivation has been associated with teaching and social presence in terms of learner satisfaction; moreover, teaching and social presence are crucial for motivation and engagement (Turk, Heddy Danielson, 2022). Nasir and Ngah (2022) also found “that teaching, social, and cognitive presence in the CoI have a significant influence on students’ satisfaction” (Abstract) and argued that “increased satisfaction would decrease dropout rates and withdrawal from online courses” (Discussion). They concluded that future research should explore the relationship of the CoI framework to other variables, such as motivation. In another study of motivation and the CoI ... Thu, 06 Oct 2022 15:26:18 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial37 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial36 It is with some ambivalence that I draw your attention to an article that highlights arguable opportunities for improvement of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Shea, Richardson, Swan, 2022). The focus of this article is on social presence and “learning presence” as related to regulation of learning. While there are interesting observations regarding social presence, my focus and concern in this post is with the topic of “learning presence” and specifically with regulation in a collaborative community of learners. However, before I can address the important issue of regulation, I must first reiterate my issue with the inclusion of “learning presence” as a fourth presence in the CoI framework. The original proposal to create a “learning presence” element was made as an argument to consider self-regulated learning in the CoI framework (Shea Bidjerano, 2011). My fundamental concern continues to be that this construct does not fit within the CoI framework. The issue ... Mon, 08 Aug 2022 19:04:44 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/editorial36 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project8 The Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology UMIT TIROL ( www.umit-tirol.at ) offers high-quality academic education and advanced training in the fields that have turned out to be of increasing importance in modern health care and technology. For example, in the field of medical informatics, we offer a part-time continuing education program that provides in-depth knowledge in the area of digitization and information management in healthcare. The program is completely online and its course design is based on the Community of Inquiry Framework. This year, we have started a comprehensive project based on the CoI Framework: ... Wed, 23 Sep 2020 12:33:18 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project8 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project7 The project (March-December 2018) analyzed the educational practices in 25 courses delivered at UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia), Spain, using the"Community of Inquiry" (CoI) framework. The aim was to set recommendations based on the analysis. We have translated, adapted and validated the CoI survey in a Spanish version. The project was approved in the II Call for Educational Innovation Projects for Teaching Innovation Groups at UNED (resolution published in March 12, 2018). https://medium.com/colabuned/proyectos-de-innovaci%C3%B3n-docente-8c2790a3b646 The survey and the validation process have been published in a Spanish scientific journal: Ballesteros Velázquez, Belén, ... Tue, 27 Mar 2018 01:49:44 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project7 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project6 2022 ... Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:21:02 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project6 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project5 Athabasca University is known for its leadership and innovation in distance education. The emergence of MOOCs was of both interest and concern; interest in reference to the opportunities MOOCs could offer as accessible, affordable education and concern at the speed with which MOOCs were being designed and delivered without reference to distance education research/instructional design. An AU-MOOC Advisory Group was created to consider the opportunity to do just that: evaluate the opportunity to use what is known about successful distance online education in a massive open online course. Learning to Learn Online was the chosen topic for this exploratory MOOC design research. Learning to Learn Online (LTLO) is designed to provide novice online learners with effective skills, practices, and attitudes for online learning. LTLO is delivered with notions of micro learning communities in mind. ... Fri, 25 Aug 2017 21:00:36 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project5 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project4 The Oregon Health and Science University School of Nursing identified a current trend in higher education, and in nursing programs at OHSU specifically: pressure to provide high quality online and hybrid programs and courses to students in our graduate and undergraduate programs. Twenty-seven percent of Masters Programs in US schools of nursing offer courses online (Brooks Morse, 2015) as do the majority of RN-BS programs. Further, a growing number of RN to MSN programs are also finding new homes online (AACN, 2015). These numbers are increasing based in part on the call from the IOM (2011) to increase BSN prepared nurses and to practice at the full extent of their license. Despite this growing demand and need for online programs that allow current RNs to further their education (undergraduate and graduate), faculty development in this rapidly expanding teaching modality is often limited. Faculty teaching in these online and hybrid courses need training in designing and delivering effective ... Sun, 02 Jul 2017 20:09:24 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project4 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project3 How do online synchronous sessions support student learning in professional graduate programs where students are engaging in research active opportunities for scholarship of the profession? As technology improves, online education is becoming a more accepted educational format. Using webconferencing tools, such as Adobe Connect, allows instructors to meet with students synchronously, or in real-time during the semester. With its similarity to face-to-face instruction, we wanted to better understand how instructors designed their synchronous sessions to promote student learning. First, our research team explored if, and how, instructors used signature pedagogies http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/ideas/archive within the synchronous sessions. Signature pedagogies are methods of teaching ... Wed, 21 Jun 2017 16:49:57 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project3 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project2 The scope of the project is to better understand how university professors can improve the quality of learning, teaching and the student experience through the development and delivery of blended learning courses. Three questions drive the project: (1) Within the University of Ottawa, what conditions currently exist toward large scale adoption of blended learning? (2) What are the best practices in blended learning at the University of Ottawa and other leading provincial universities? (3) What action plans and tools need to be developed to support blended learning and teaching innovation? Outcomes focus on disseminating project results to faculty decision makers, professors and students through different venues and ... Tue, 13 Jun 2017 09:20:03 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project2 http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project1 In Ireland, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reported that in 2012, 98% of 15-year-old pupils have at least one computer at home, but only 64% of pupils reported that they use a computer, laptop, or tablet at school. These findings are based on an analysis of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data and show that despite the pervasiveness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in pupils’ daily lives, such technologies have not yet been as widely adopted within the classrooms of formal second level education. When they are used in the classroom, their impact on pupil learning is mixed at best. Yet, the debate about the use of ICT in schools has been replaced by a discourse of inevitability, where schools of the future are presented as ICT rich sites of learning. The ‘space’ created in this discourse of inevitability enables schools and teachers to integrate systems of ICT without guiding epistemological or pedagogical ... Thu, 18 May 2017 12:20:49 GMT http://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/project1