In this topic, we were to shift our focus from participation in a learning environment to how to support and design learning, both face-to-face learning, blended learning as well as e-learning (ONL webside, 2020).
The definition of blended learning in higher education is “the organic integration of thoughtfully selected and complementary face-to-face and online approaches” (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008, p. 148). By organic the authors meant grounded in practice, and by the use of the term thoughtfully, they wanted to indicate a significant rethinking of how to approach the learning experience. They believe that blended learning is the inspiration of much of the innovation, both pedagogically and technologically, in higher education. By innovation they mean significantly rethinking and redesigning approaches to teaching and learning that fully engage learners (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison (2013).
The strength of integrating face-to-face synchronous communication and text-based online asynchronous communication is powerfully complementary for higher educational purposes. The goal of blended learning is to bring these together to academically challenge students in ways not possible through either mode individually (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison (2013).
Online learning
In our ONL network, Professor Salmon gave an interesting speech about online learning, the five stage model and the scaffold of learning (Salmon, 2013). This model is based on pedagogical resurge for over 50 years. It is a model when you want to mix face-to-face learning with blended learning and e-learning. When building a course, it is important to make sure all these steps are fully covered and stable before going on to the next step (Salmon, 2013).
The five different stages in the model consist of the following steps;
- Access and motivation – To begin with, the participant have to have easy access to the online community or platform. The participant also have to be motivated to engage her/himself in e-learning and e-ctivities.
- Online socialisation – Once in the community or platform, someone has to welcome the participants and make sure they feel comfortable in the group. Everybody present themselves in some way, by putting the camera on or by speech. This is the “building of the team” part.
- Information exchange – Over time, the participants feels comfortable in the group and start interacting with each other. That also leads to exchanging of information and knowledge.
- Knowledge construction – The participant now start to become a member of the constructive community of knowledge by taking more and more control over his/her own learning. Everyone in the project add their knowledge to the project. This is when you can ask for more complex activities and more complex group goals. The participant is not only a consumer of knowledge but also a distributer of knowledge.
- Development – The participant is now more confident in learning and ready to try her/his own “wings” and, for example try to integrate more e-learning into her/his classes at home. This is the level to introduce more information about “learning about learning”, as well as time for reflection, evaluation and critiquing (Salmon, 2013).
Community of Inquiry
Then, we were introduced to a concept called “Community of Inquiry (CoI)”. The Community of Inquiry, is supposed to be the practical implications of blended learning in higher education. This concept introduced us to a way to learn about different pedagogical aspects in creating good blended and online learning environments.
A community of inquiry is also where “students listen to one another with respect, build on one another’s ideas, challenge one another to supply reasons for otherwise unsupported opinions, assist each other in drawing inferences from what has been said, and seek to identify one another’s assumptions” (Lipman, 2003, p. 20). Lipman (1991) also argued that education is inquiry. He suggests that, “The community of inquiry is perhaps the most promising methodology for the encouragement of that fusion of critical and creative cognitive processing known as higher-order thinking” (Lipman, 1991, p. 204). Critical thinking is most often cited as the hallmark of higher education (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013).
The three key elements or dimensions of the Community of Inquiry framework are social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Social presence creates the environment for trust, open communication, and group cohesion. Cognitive presence has been defined “as the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community. The third and cohesive element, teaching presence, is associated with the design, facilitation, and direction of a community of inquiry. This unifying force brings together the social and cognitive processes directed to personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile outcomes (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013).
The following principles provide a map and guide to creating and sustaining purposeful communities of inquiry: 1. Plan for the creation of open communication and trust. 2. Plan for critical reflection and discourse. 3. Establish community and cohesion. 4. Establish inquiry dynamics (purposeful inquiry). 5. Sustain respect and responsibility. 6. Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution. 7. Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes. These seven principles are the first step in providing specific practical guidelines to the design, facilitation, and direction of a collaborative community of inquiry (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013).
Theories into action
Ok. Now we have read and heard about face-to-face learning, blended learning as well as e-learning. How can I get this into action as a teacher in my classes? Therefor I would like to analyse one of my classes that I teach from this point of view and try to put my teaching actions into these theoretical models.
I am a senior lecturer in physiotherapy at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden. I am also a course coordinator, as well as teacher, for a very practical, hands-on course in basic joint examination. The course uses blended learning with some hands-on lectures as well as recorded lectures as well as Zoom-meetings/classes. I love my work and I love my profession. Therefore I am very engaged in all the parts of this course. Now I am going to reflect on my role as teacher in this course according to the seven principles of CoI:
1. Plan for the creation of open communication and trust. – At the course introduction I present myself and my background as a clinician. As I have a personal background in team sports as well as a physiotherapist for the national U21 female team in football, I emphasize my teacher role as a “coach” and the students as “players” in the team. We have all the same goal and that we are to help each other to reach that goal. Since I have such a passion for my profession and that I really want them to become very excellent physiotherapists, I really want them to tell me if there is something they do not understand during the course so that I can guide them to the knowledge. I also take lots of time walking around in the classroom during practical tasks, talking with them on one-on-one and giving them positive feed-back. I do have high requirements but I am always there to guide them. And I know that they too have high requirements on me as a teacher. That goes both ways.
2. Plan for critical reflection and discourse. – When I get questions I sometimes give them the answer, but more often I throw the question back and want them to answer it. I always tell them that there is only one correct answer, and it is: “It depends”. I want them to know that the world is not black or white, but a variety of different grey colours. They need to use their academic knowledge, as well as the knowledge from life, to solve the problems that arise also during their professional life. I try to be teaching present and not teacher present (Vaughan 2018). I want them to be able to solve the problems using their own knowledge and life experiences. But I will help in guiding them.
3. Establish community and cohesion. – Students at the physiotherapy program is already a community where the students stay together in the same class for 3 years (unless you do not have to take some time off for some reason). Therefor the community is quite obvious. During practical moments they work in pairs or 3 and 3. Normally we want them to work with different persons during different tasks. If it is a theoretical task, we randomize them into groups. They have to learn to work with different people and put personal difficulties aside. During Corona we have had to change our group ideas, so now they only work with other students that they socialize with and/or travel to school with. But for theoretical tasks they can still be randomized.
4. Establish inquiry dynamics (purposeful inquiry). – Every class has its own culture. Some classes are very open minded and talk freely while other classes have some issues in their group dynamics. As a teacher I have to sense the dynamic in the class and go with it (when the dynamic is ok) or try to change it to the better (when there are problems within a group/groups). This really calls for a lot of experience as well as knowledge in group psychology. I take this task very seriously, but I often have to remind myself that this is not my major task as a teacher in that specific course.
5. Sustain respect and responsibility. –It is very important as a teacher as well as a physiotherapist, to be professional but not personal. The students have to trust me, as a teacher, but I am not their friend. I still need to keep some distance, without using the power that I do have as a teacher at a University. That really is a balancing act.
6. Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution. – I put a lot of time and effort in the study guide. I believe that if they can see the way from the beginning of the course until the end, it is easier to follow the path. I want them to use their time to dig into the subject, not trying to find answers on what to do. The class also have a digital room (in Canvas) where all the information, tasks, recorded lectures, Power Point lectures etc. are. This is also where they leave their written assignments and get feed-back. Almost all communication is through Canvas or mail, when not meeting them during practical classes or in Zoom. I try to answer mail as soon as I can, but most questions can often be answered during class. Before a methodological lesson the students get lessons like literature to read or a recorded lecture to listen to. All this material are found in their Canvas-room.
7. Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes. – As Vaughan says; teaching presence begins with a design phase and then progresses to facilitation and direct instruction to ensure the successful resolution of the problem or task (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013).This is very important to me. I always encourage the students to evaluate the course, both during the course but mainly afterwards. The do this evaluation both orally in the classroom as well as a written form (unidentified). I always also, at the beginning of each course, go through the evaluation from the former course and explain the differences I have done or not (and why not).
Summary
During this topic I have been encouraged to reflect on my own experience of what constitutes good learning design as well as to consider how I can design and support flexible, networked and community-based learning in my own teaching practice. I have reflected both in the theories of online learning, blended learning but more in-depth concerning the seven steps of Community of Inquiry.
In my teaching life, I use both in face-to-face learning, blended learning as well as e-learning. I have both classes on campus as well as classes using distance e-learning. So far I have not had any classes with only online learning. But if that day comes, I will go back to Dr Salmons 5 stage model for guidance. After the Corona pandemic, blended learning has become more common. And here I have still a lot more to learn concerning the techniques. Fortunately, at Luleå University of Technology we have a very good department with IT-pedagogues that are always ready to help. I have already made several changes in my classes towards e-ctivities, but still I feel that my journey of e-learning has just begun.
References:
Cleveland-Innes, M. (2020). Roles, learning design, and the Community of Inquiry. Introductory presentation and slides on the Padlet.
Garrison & Vaughan (2008). Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines. John Wiley & Sons. DOI: 10.1002/9781118269558
Lipman, M. (1991). Thinking in education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lipman, M. (2003). Thinking in education (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ONL Webside (2020). Design for online and blended learning. https://www.opennetworkedlearning.se/onl202-course-overview/topic-4-design-for-online-and-blended-learning/
Salmon, G (2013) The Five Stage Model. [Homepage] http://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html.
Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: AU Press. Chapter 1 “The Community of Inquiry Conceptual framework”.
Vaughan, N., (2018). The Concept of Teaching Presence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlOxbA_axgI
