The theme for week 4 was to shift the focus from participant to supporter/facilitator of an online course. On paper this should have been easy, as the three first topics set the base for understanding online learning from a participant perspective. However easy on paper, I found it to be quite the opposite, partly because this switch in focus also comes with a much broader view on not only learning, but also all the surrounding elements, like course design, creating a supporting and encouraging online environment, the role of a facilitator/instructor/supporter etc. As this easily might become a bit overwhelming, it is a good thing that there is help at hand. A useful roadmap when creating online or blended (online + analogue teaching) courses is the Community of Inquiry Survey Instrument, which draws upon on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework. This framework sees, according to Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes and Garrison (2013), (higher) education as both a collaborative and an individually constructivist learning experience. The framework consists of three elements: social, cognitive, and teaching presence. In the intersection of these three areas, collaborative constructivist educational experience is recognised (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes and Garrison, 2013). Again, in theory this sounds fine and dandy. But how to actually manage to steer learners into this convergence zone? Enter the Community of Inquiry Survey Instrument.
The Survey instrument, which is meant to function as a feedback formula for participants of online course and of the extent to which students engage in collaborative learning online (Stewart, 2019), gives the instructor practical ques on how to set up teaching, social and cognitive presence. Within teaching presence, focus lie on course design and organisation. One of the main take home messages within this area I feel is communication. Without clear communication, on topics, aims and goals, as well as framework like course dates and times, (online) learning cannot fully actualize. As this lays the foundation for the course, not only from a teaching presence perspective, but also for social and cognitive presence, the importance for this cannot be emphasized enough. Without a clear framework and a well-articulated design as well as instructions, support and facilitation for this in the beginning, the convergence of the three elements becomes impossible. Not only that, but an unclear design can, I feel, add to drop-outs before a course even starts.
Another key element of CoI is the social presence. What I feel is most important for this element is the sense of belonging as well as comfortability. For this, getting to know the peers is crucial. As an example, if we within our PBL group of ONL would not have started by introducing and getting to know each other, we would not have been able to collaborate, or even co-operate. For this to be successful there needs to be good and useful online tools and platforms, which in today’s interconnected world is easily taken care of.
The last key element is cognitive presence, which, in my opinion, is something that should already be there from the get go, even before enrolling in a course, be it online or analogue. Interest and curiousity is something that of course can be encouraged and awoken, whatever the subject, or whatever the interest of participants are, but a motivation to learn can be, and is, crucial for the cognitive presence. In the Community of Inquiry Survey Instrument the focus lies on both how the course organisation and structure support cognitive presence, either via tools used, or tasks created, as well as how individuals perceive their learning.
The challenge then, is to find the sweet spot where all these key elements intersect. This is by no means an easy task, but remembering these key elements, and having them as the cornerstones of course design, can surely be the first step towards a better experience for online learners.
References:
Stewart, M.K., 2019. The Community of Inquiry Survey: An Assessment Instrument for Online Writing Courses. Computers and Composition, 52, pp.37-52.
Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: AU Press
