These past two weeks at the #ONL202 the topic was Learning in communities, but I got a bit off track with my interest in the importance of educator presence in online learning. I thus started an inquiry into the Community of Inquiry framework, the CoI. The name Community of inquiry is stated to originate from John Dewey constructivist learning theories (Castellano-Reyes, 2020), i.e. that learning is constructed in “a communication process where the learner interacts with others during purposeful activities” (Phillips & Soltis, 2014). The classroom is thus seen a community where inquiry takes place.
The original CoI framework
The original three circle version of the model (see figure 1 below) is attributed mainly to Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) when they investigated texted communication between teachers and learners (Castellano-Reyes, 2020) and is still the description of the model at the Athabasca University homepage (https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model/). The study by Garrison et al sought to investigate what kind of extra dimensions of learning that texting with teachers could give, over computer-automated messages. So the model actually is about what live persons contribute to online learning.
Figure 1 Community of Inquiry. Available 2020-11-09 at https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model
The idea behind the framework is that the educator create the Educational Experience by being present in the online learning in three dimensions: Social Presence aids the participants to identify with the community by setting the learning climate and supporting discourse, so the students become able to communicate purposefully and develop inter-personal relationships. Cognitive Presence is created by the selected course content and by supporting discourse so that the participants can construct meaning and understanding of the subject through reflection and discussion. Teaching Presence is the actual design of the course, i.e. selecting content and supporting discourse, that facilitate that participants reach meaningful and worthwhile learning outcomes. (Athabasca homepage)
A fourth dimension
More recently, a fourth circle has been added, Emotional Presence, see figure 2 below. In the original model the importance of emotions to support online learning was contained in the Social Presence. But work by Cleveland-Innes and Campbell (2012) showed that emotions, positive or negative, was also present during online learning. They state: “..emotional presence is not just the affective response that presents itself through social presence; rather, it underpins the broader online experience.” (Cleveland-Innes & Campbell, 2012, page 283) and define it as: “Emotional presence is the outward expression of emotion, affect, and feeling by individuals and among individuals in a community of inquiry, as they relate to and interact with the learning technology, course content, students, and the instructor.” (ibid).
Figure 2. Revised version of Community of Inquiry model, from Rienties & Rivers, 2014.
This emotional presence is created by the educator giving the participants feedback in a way that acknowledges that emotions are present and indeed created during learning activities. Allowing the participants to express these positive but also negative emotions is seen as one of the instructional strategies mentioned by Brindley, Walti and Blaschke (2009) to support the establishment of learner relationships and sense of community. An example of an instructional activity given by Fiock (2020) is to share personal stories, professional experience and using emoticons. However, this activity was included under the heading Social Presence, indicating that the fourth dimension Emotional Presence is not yet firmly established in the CoI framework literature.
References
Athabasca university homepage. CoI framework. Accessed 2020-11-09 at https://coi.athabascau.ca/coi-model
Brindley J, Blaschke LM, Walti C. Creating effective collaborative learning groups in an online environment. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 2009;10:1-18.
Castellano-Reyes D. 20 Years of the Community of Inquiry Framework. TechTrends 2020; 64:557–560.
Cleveland-Innes M, Campbell P. Emotional Presence, Learning, and the Online Learning Environment. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning 2012;13:269-292.
Fiock HS. Designing a Community of Inquiry in Online Courses. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning 2020;21:
Garrison DR, AndersonT, Archer W. Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education 2000; 2:87–105.
Phillips DC, Soltis JF. Perspektiv på lärande [Perspectives on learning]. 2nd ed. Studentlitteratur, 2014.
Rienties B & Rivers BA. Measuring and Understanding Learner Emotions: Evidence and Prospects. LACE Project – Learning Analytics Review 1, 2014.
