As part of my work with a local police agency, I facilitate a 30-minute learning module to introduce new recruits on how polices and procedures are developed and implemented within the organization. This learning experience allows for a Community of Inquiry (COI) to be established.
A COI is “a group of individuals who collaboratively engage in purposeful critical discourse and reflection to construct personal meaning and confirm mutual understanding” (Garrison & Akyol, 2013, pg.105). It assumes that meaningful learning comes from the interaction of the following: teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence.
Based on Garrison, Anderson & Archer’s definitions, the University of Buffalo (2023) defines each presence as follows:
- Teaching presence: The design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes.
- Cognitive presence: The extent to which the participants can construct and confirm meaning through sustained communication.
- Social presence: The ability to interact with others in a meaningful way.
Teaching Presence
Teaching presence ensures that leaners are being provided with meaningful course content and materials that are developed based on the strategic design and organization of the course (University of Buffalo, 2023).
To create teaching presence in police recruit training, I use the following strategies as suggested by Lynch (2016):
- Present content in an effective and focused manner – I ensure that course content is designed clearly and logically so it meets course learning objectives; this helps ensure that learners are constructing meaning from the content.
- Present content in a conversational rather than academic style – I deliver course content in a casual, conversational style to keep learners engaged and to avoid learners feeling intimidated by what they are learning.
- Share personal meaning/experience – I share personal meaning and experience as it relates to the course content to help enhance learner’s understanding of the content.
Cognitive Presence
Cognitive presence ensures that learners are building critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while developing a deep understanding of the content (University of Buffalo, 2023).
To create cognitive presence in police recruit training, I use the following strategies as suggested by the University of Buffalo (2023):
- Use diverse resources to help learners understand key concepts – I demonstrate the use of the policy software during the learning module and provide handouts on the key concepts discussed.
- Give multiple opportunities for retrieval and rehearsal – I ask learners to follow along and practice the tasks they are learning with regards to the policy software (for example, try marking a policy as read).
- Incorporate frequent assessment and feedback – I frequently ask learners if they have any questions or if I’m going too fast, and encourage them to speak up if isn’t clear; this allows me to make adjustments during the module to meet their needs.
Social Presence
Social presence ensures that learners will be able to apply communication and collaboration skills within their learning context (University of Buffalo, 2023).
To create social presence in police recruit training, I use the following strategies as suggested by Decker (2016), Garcia-O’Neil (2016), and University of Buffalo (2023):
- Invite learners to share personal and professional experiences – I ask learners to share any previous experiences with policy and procedures in their day-to-day work.
- Use open-ended, critical thinking discussion questions – I ask learners open-ended questions, such as “What is the importance of having policies within the organization?”, to prompt reflection and allow learners to use critical thinking skills.
- Be responsive to learners needs – I provide my contact details to learners and remind them that I am always available to answer questions.
References
Community of Inquiry. Office of Curriculum, Assessment and Teaching Transformation – University at Buffalo. (2023, April 4). https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/develop/teach/learning-environments/community-of-inquiry.html
Decker, G. (2016). IDel TIP sheet. https://www1.villanova.edu/content/dam/villanova/vital/pdfs/community_of_inquiry.pdf
Garcia-O’Neill, E. (2016, January 21). Social presence in online learning: 7 things instructional designers can do to improve it. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/social-presence-in-online-learning-7-things-instructional-designers-can-improve
Garrison, D. & Akyol, Zehra. (2013). The Community of Inquiry Theoretical Framework. Handbook of Distance Education. 104-119.
Lynch, J. (2016). Teaching presence. https://www.pearson.com/content/dam/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/ped-blogs/wp-content/pdfs/INSTR6230_TeachingPresence_WP_f.pdf
Hi Alison,
It’s great to see that you make a point of using relevant experiences from both yourself and learners as learning tools. I’ve found that even the shared experiences that are slightly off topic, can still have relevance because of the people sharing them.
Wondering, are any of your personal experiences included in your print or online materials as examples, or as case studies?
Hi Alison, I really like the simplicity of your infographic – it is easy to read and follow. I appreciate how you have included sharing experiences from both you as a facilitator and the recruits in your learning module. I think this is such an effective way to learn, and it’s usually people’s stories and sharing that I remember most. Do you find it is hard to develop social presence in 30 minutes? Or is this part of a larger learning experience that is scaffolded?