An Empirical Verification of the Community of Inquiry Framework

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a study that examines whether the CoI dimensions of social, teaching and cognitive presence distinctively exist in e-learning environments. The rest of the paper is organized as follows. First, I will briefly review recent studies on the dimensions of this framework: social, cognitive, and teaching presence. Second, I discuss the development of the sample of MBA students in online courses over a two-year period at a Midwestern U.S. university and the items used to measure the CoI dimensions. Next, I will describe the results of an exploratory factor analysis, including an interpretation of the emerging factors. Finally, I will discuss how these findings relate to conclusions presented in Garrison’s review of recent research related to the CoI and present some possible directions for future research.

Investigating self-directed learning and technology readiness in blending learning environment

“…Teaching presence refers to the design, facilitation and direction of student learning and thinking processes (Garrison et al, 2000). Students' sense learning community and satisfaction are influenced by pedagogical design of BL course (Shea, Li, Swan, & Pickett, 2005), and particularly teaching presence (Arbaugh, 2007).…”

Examining the Reliability and Validity of a Turkish Version of the Community of Inquiry Survey

“…To promote in-depth and significant learning in the online environment, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework proposed by Garrison, Anderson, & Archer (2000), identifies the critical conceptual elements required for success, and many studies on distance learning have thus employed the framework. Additionally, the CoI framework has been confirmed by various studies (e.g., Akyol & Garrison, 2008;Arbaugh, 2007;Arbaugh, et al, 2008;Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Fung, 2004, 2010Kozan & Richardson, 2014;Yu & Richardson, 2015). The framework suggests that learning may occur as the result of the interaction among three main elements: cognitive, social, and teaching presences (Garrison et al, 2000).…”

“…Social presence-the most extensively studied theme among core elements in the CoI framework (Arbaugh, 2007)-is defined as "the ability of learners to project themselves socially and emotionally in a community of inquiry" (Rourke, Anderson, Garrison, & Archer, 2001, p. 51). According to Garrison (2009), however, the concept of social presence has, over time, changed from its original conceptualization.…”

“…Thus, it has become possible to work relatively efficiently in larger and wider samples and to increase the generalizability of the findings. In this respect, a variety of data collection tools were developed by researchers (Arbaugh, 2007;Arbaugh et al, 2008;Garrison et al, 2004). However, a review of the literature suggests that the CoI survey developed by Arbaugh et al (2008) is widely accepted.…”

Green chemistry & chemical stewardship certificate program: a novel, interdisciplinary approach to green chemistry and environmental health education

“…The model underscores the need to consider cognitive, social, and teaching presence as equal components of successful learning experiences. The model has been validated (28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36) for all course modalities. Arbaugh and Bangert suggest that the COI model is best suited for applied disciplines rather than pure disciplines of study (37).…”