Reflecting on the last nine weeks in Inquiry into Contemporary Issues in Learning Technologies, I have gained more profound knowledge of Community of Inquiry (CoI) as well as Virtual Reality (VR), Video-Based Learning (VBL), and HTML5 Package (H5P), presented by my cohort. Additionally, as I wrap up the research on the CoI model, analysis through the lens of critical information literacy for the final paper, I can’t help but feel inspired to implement it into my instructional design and teaching practice.
Specifically, the CoI model, if successfully integrated and facilitated with the interplay of teaching, social, and cognitive presence can result in higher-order learning with purposeful and critical discourse (Vaughan et al., 2013).
Teaching presence enriches discussions through effective questioning techniques, appropriate learning activities, and expectations with well-constructed learning environments. Furthermore, it supports the social and cognitive presence (Anderson, 2018).
Social presence is then defined as “the ability of participants in a community of inquiry to project their personal characteristics into the community thereby presenting themselves to others as real people” (Garrison et al., 2000, p. 89). It is where participants identify with the community, build, and foster a safe and trusting learning environment. Additionally, it is a space to share perspectives, stories, and experiences resulting in a more significant group cohesion (Vaughan et al., 2013).
Cognitive presence is identified as a vital element in critical thinking and defined as “the extent to which the participants in any particular configuration of a community of inquiry are able to construct meaning through sustained communication” (Garrison et al., 2000, p.12). Strategies such as modelling, encouraging divergent thinking, reflective, critical questioning, encouraging dialogue around the possibilities of more than one solution will deepen and enrich learning (Vaughan et al., 2013).
A question for my cohort, what topics (CoI, VR, VBL, and H5P) stood out the most for you and what will you be implementing into your teaching practice?
References:
Anderson, T. (2018). How Communities of Inquiry Drive Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age | Contact North. https://teachonline.ca/fr/node/92055
Garrison, R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2), 87–105. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6
Vaughan, N., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Athabasca University Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/lib/royalroads-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4837975.
What stood out for me Vanessa, for COI using Discord, was the importance that instructors have on setting the stage for using the technology. I like that during your demonstration and creation of a Discord server, you had a clear terms of use that was displayed when new users sign up. This way everyone is clear on what behaviour is allowed and required of participants. I would think this has the benefit of decreasing disrespectful and damaging comments on the chat platform. Another discussion I enjoyed, was the effect of the instructors attitude and participation in the Discord channel to affect the behaviour of the participants. if the instructor is passive or absent, so too will the students. If the instructor is active and friendly, so too will the students. I think I will now be implementing a sign-in bot that will remind students of the terms of respectful use of the platform.
For VBL, what I really liked was the in-depth look at the elements that make up effective VBL. This group examined the elements of a LinkedIn Learning video such as the table of contents with times of each video, progress meters, completion status, the inclusion of quick quizzes, transcripts, notebooks, bookmarks, etc. I currently use a LinkedIn Learning course (which is provided for free for my students) to help replace an expensive textbook I once used to teach database design concepts.
For AR/VR, I liked that it was presented as a technology that may not be applicable for all topics. I currently do not see AR/VR being an effective or efficient way to each topics in my database, project management, or web design courses and I don’t see that changing any time soon.
Thank you, Patrick, for sharing your experience and insights.
Hi, Vanessa.
I believe that the sudden shift to online learning for many schools since the onset of COVID has highlighted the importance of an effective Community of Inquiry and, especially, social presence. Students have felt isolated and teachers have felt increasingly disconnected from their students. Although we are hopefully facing better times ahead, the detriment to our social and mental wellbeing may be felt for a long time to come.
I joined this cohort at the start of this course after taking a 1-year leave of absence. Although I felt quite lost for the first few days, I immediately started connecting with my team members and engaging with the rest of my cohort in Discord. The collaboration and engagement were critical to creating positive group cohesion and certainly aided in my learning success. The importance of social presence can easily be overlooked when teachers are faced with a finite amount of time to complete a seemingly unsurmountable number of learning objectives. However, it is clearly a critical aspect of a successful CoI.
Ruth, I hope we get to work with each other at some point!!! Thank you for sharing your experience with the Discord channel. I’m recommending the class rep (of my student cohort) set up a community channel similar to ours so they can have a space for informal discussions and feel more connected.
Hi Vanessa,
My team picked the asynchronous video to explore as technology. This makes me wonder, since social and teaching presence is very limited (if not absent) in the asynchronous video, is CoI then practically incompatible with asynchronous VBL?
Denys, thank you for your question. It’s a great one to think about and dive deeper into.
Social and teaching presence can very much exist in asynchronous learning environments. I have experienced (as a learner) many well-designed online courses where the facilitator conveys their teacher presence via written text, audio, and video. They also foster and hold a space for learners to feel that they are part of the community and can safely contribute without judgements. With asynchronous learning, the interactions are less spontaneous but it allows time to reflect. I hope this answers your question, if not, I’m more than happy to discuss further…maybe synchronously. 😉