The Predictive Relationship Among the Community of Inquiry Framework, Perceived Learning and Online, and Graduate Students’ Course Grades in Online Synchronous and Asynchronous Courses

Abstract

<p>The Community of Inquiry framework has been widely supported by research to provide a model of online learning that informs the design and implementation of distance learning courses. However, the relationship between elements of the CoI framework and perceived learning warrants further examination as a predictive model for online graduate student success. A predictive correlational design and hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate relationships between community of inquiry factors and perceived learning to determine the predictive validity of these variables for students’ course points (<em>N</em> = 131), while controlling for demographic and course variables. The results of this study clearly supported the foundational constructs of Community of Inquiry (CoI) theory (Garrison et al., 2000) and the role of perceived learning to predict final course points. The entire predictive model explained 55.6% of the variance in course points. Implications, limitations, and recommendations are discussed.</p>

Re-examining the Construct Validity and Causal Relationships of Teaching, Cognitive and Social Presence in Community of Inquiry Framework

“…In creating an authentic collaborativeconstructivist learning context, then, the three presences work together and support one another. To wit, social presence has been shown to be the mediating factor between cognitive and teaching presence (deNoyelles, Zydney, & Chen, 2014;Joksimović, Gašević, Kovanović, Riecke, & Hatala, 2015;Whiteside, Dikkers, & Swan, 2017), cognitive presence is most indicative of student satisfaction and success (Holser & Arend, 2012;Yang, Quadir, Chen, & Miao, 2016), and teaching presence is understood to be of the greatest value to students (Hodges & Cowan, 2012;Preisman, 2014) and the most critical in establishing purposeful communities of inquiry (Borokhovski, Bernard, Tamim, Schmid, & Sokolvskaya, 2016;Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wighting, & Nisbet, 2016;Rubin & Fernandes, 2013). As such, Archibald (2013) reported that, in creating communities of inquiry, each of three presences is statistically and conceptually interdependent, and Wicks, Craft, Mason, Gritter, and Bolding (2015), and Rockinson-Szapkiw et al (2016) showed the framework as a whole-through the operationalization of the three presences-to be predictive of learning outcomes.…”

Strengths-Based Analysis of Student Success in Online Courses

“…Several studies found no relationship with student success in online learning (Aragon & Johnson, 2008;Gibson et al, 2010;Harrell & Bower, 2011;Jost, Rude-Parkins, & Githens, 2012). Some, however, found race combined with other factors yielded a significant association with success (Cochran et al, 2014;Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wendt, Wighting, & Nisbet, 2016;Suphi & Yaratan, 2012).…”

“…Evaluating factors of success across multiple class levels in a single study provided a unique and significant contribution that may help to explain some of the contradictions in previous research. Some previous studies, for example, considered targeted populations, such as community college students (Hachey et al, 2014;Jost et al, 2012) or graduate students (Rakap, 2010;Rockinson-Szapkiw et al, 2016). Other studies evaluated a broad population without examining the predictive factors for a given subpopulation (Levy, 2007;Wang et al, 2013).…”

A Critical Analysis of Characteristics that Influence the Effect of Instructor Discussion Interaction on Student Outcomes

“…Activities associated with teaching presence may have the most direct influence on students' academic achievement (Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wendt, Wighting, & Nisbet, 2016). Instructor activities in an online course account for the most significant impact on student outcomes-higher than student-student interaction and student-content interaction (Marks, Sibley, & Arbaugh, 2005).…”

“…Cognitive presence is "the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse in a critical community of inquiry" (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001, p. 11). The philosophical underpinning of the CoI framework aligns with the social-constructivist view that communication interaction of the teacher, student, and content is essential to learning (Akyol & Garrison, 2011).Activities associated with teaching presence may have the most direct influence on students' academic achievement (Rockinson-Szapkiw, Wendt, Wighting, & Nisbet, 2016). Instructor activities in an online course account for the most significant impact on student outcomes-higher than student-student interaction and student-content interaction (Marks, Sibley, & Arbaugh, 2005).…”