Community of Inquiry (CoI) Workshop
"SMART" Learning Objectives:
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
1) Explain the key characteristics of the 3 presences in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model as developed by Garrison (2011).
2) Justify using the CoI model for designing online courses that promote greater student interaction and deeper understanding.
3) Design strategies for using the CoI model to make your classes more engaging and interactive.
1) Explain the key characteristics of the 3 presences in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model as developed by Garrison (2011).
2) Justify using the CoI model for designing online courses that promote greater student interaction and deeper understanding.
3) Design strategies for using the CoI model to make your classes more engaging and interactive.
Community of Inquiry Overview:
What is a Community of Inquiry?
In order to truly understand a new concept, learners must have time to think about the material, communicate their thoughts, and learn from the perspectives of other students and the instructor. A Community of Inquiry (CoI) as described by Garrison is a supportive group of teachers and students interacting with each other to actively construct meaning and confirm their understanding of new material. In a CoI, students have the opportunity to independently reflect about new material and deepen their understanding by interacting with other members of the community. There are three key elements in the CoI framework which work together to create a learning environment maximizing deep understanding. These are teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence (Garrison, 2011).
In order to truly understand a new concept, learners must have time to think about the material, communicate their thoughts, and learn from the perspectives of other students and the instructor. A Community of Inquiry (CoI) as described by Garrison is a supportive group of teachers and students interacting with each other to actively construct meaning and confirm their understanding of new material. In a CoI, students have the opportunity to independently reflect about new material and deepen their understanding by interacting with other members of the community. There are three key elements in the CoI framework which work together to create a learning environment maximizing deep understanding. These are teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence (Garrison, 2011).
Teaching Presence Overview:
Teaching presence in a CoI framework refers to leadership in designing, organizing, and facilitating a course to ensure meaningful learning. Although we traditionally think of teaching presence as primarily the role of the instructor, in a CoI model, students take on greater teaching presence as learning progresses when they start teaching each other (Garrison, 2011).
Teaching presence in a CoI framework refers to leadership in designing, organizing, and facilitating a course to ensure meaningful learning. Although we traditionally think of teaching presence as primarily the role of the instructor, in a CoI model, students take on greater teaching presence as learning progresses when they start teaching each other (Garrison, 2011).
Some indicators of good teaching presence include setting meaningful learning objectives, designing course activities that align with the learning outcomes, and facilitating student communication to ensure deep understanding of core concepts. As an example, I build teaching presence in my classes by designing small group discussion cases that require students to analyze a real-world patient scenario and collaborate with each other in reaching a solution. In the small groups, students take on the role of teaching each other as they work on the problem. My role as the facilitator is to ensure that students have a chance to express their ideas, clear up any misconceptions, and connect the new information to what they already know.
Social Presence Overview:
In order for learning to occur in a CoI, students must feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with each other and the instructor. Social presence describes the ability of a group of learners to identify with the group, and communicate with each other in a trusting, honest, and inclusive learning environment (Garrison, 2011).
In order for learning to occur in a CoI, students must feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with each other and the instructor. Social presence describes the ability of a group of learners to identify with the group, and communicate with each other in a trusting, honest, and inclusive learning environment (Garrison, 2011).
Some indicators of good social presence in an e-learning community include students sharing personal experiences and emotions with their group, active discussions in a risk-free learning climate, and increased collaboration between group members in solving a learning problem. In my classes teaching pathology to dermatology residents, I encourage social presence by asking students to introduce themselves at the beginning of our small group sessions and share a problem they encountered with the reading material with the group. During the session, they work together in small groups to solve these identified gaps in learning. This teaches them to reflect on their learning, and collaborate with their colleagues towards a common learning goal.
Cognitive Presence Overview:
Cognitive presence describes designing learning activities that encourage self reflection and collaborative discussion (Garrison, 2011). In order to build cognitive presence, instructors must explicitly state the learning outcomes to be accomplished with each session, and design course content and assessments aligning with these learning outcomes. The practical inquiry model describes the key elements of cognitive presence including a triggering event followed by exploration of the problem, integration with known concepts to create meaning, and resolution resulting in deep understanding (Garrison, 2011).
Cognitive presence describes designing learning activities that encourage self reflection and collaborative discussion (Garrison, 2011). In order to build cognitive presence, instructors must explicitly state the learning outcomes to be accomplished with each session, and design course content and assessments aligning with these learning outcomes. The practical inquiry model describes the key elements of cognitive presence including a triggering event followed by exploration of the problem, integration with known concepts to create meaning, and resolution resulting in deep understanding (Garrison, 2011).
Indicators of cognitive presence in each phase of the practical inquiry model include student puzzlement in the triggering phase motivating them to explore the concept by exchanging information with others, followed by connecting the idea to what they already know, and applying the newly learned material in a real-world setting. In the following video presentations, I use examples from the 4 phases of the practical inquiry model to increase cognitive presence. In my pathology classes, I build cognitive presence by introducing an interesting patient scenario, and encourage exploration and integration via team based learning activities requiring application of learned concepts to real-world case scenarios. We always end with resolving any student questions and a brief summary of the key learning concepts from the session.
References:
Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-Learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice (2nd edition). New York, NY: Routledge.
Garrison, D. R. (2011). E-Learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice (2nd edition). New York, NY: Routledge.
Digitized BB-Collaborate Session 1: Community of Inquiry
In this presentation we will discuss the three elements of the CoI model and discuss how they work together to promote student engagement and deep understanding.
In this presentation we will discuss the three elements of the CoI model and discuss how they work together to promote student engagement and deep understanding.
Digitized BB-Collaborate Session 2: Educational Technology & Blended Learning in Higher Education
In this presentation we will discuss the role of educational technology and blended learning in enhancing deeper understanding in the higher educational environment.
In this presentation we will discuss the role of educational technology and blended learning in enhancing deeper understanding in the higher educational environment.
Digitized BB-Collaborate Session 3: Building a Sense of Community in Online Education
In this presentation we will discuss strategies for humanizing and personalizing the online learning environment to enhance student learning and minimize academic dishonesty.
In this presentation we will discuss strategies for humanizing and personalizing the online learning environment to enhance student learning and minimize academic dishonesty.