scholarly journals Peer-facilitated discussions to enhance OER-based e-learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P. Karunanayaka ◽  
J.C.N. Rajendra ◽  
H.U.W. Ratnayake ◽  
Som Naidu
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
E Learning

Purpose The Open University of Sri Lanka implemented a fully online professional development course on open educational resources-based e-learning (OEReL), which adopted a scenario-based learning (SBL) design within the constructivist pedagogy. It was designed to facilitate knowledge construction in a collaborative manner with the support of open educational resource (OER), mainly through peer-facilitated discussion forum activities. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on how peer-facilitated discussions affected the OEReL process, what factors supported and hindered peer-facilitated discussions, and what challenges were faced during the process. Design/methodology/approach The OEReL course consisted of five modules with 14 discussion forum activities. Content analysis of the threaded forum discussions was the key data collection and analysis strategy based on the community of inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison and Arbaugh, 2007). It was supplemented with participants’ reflections and focus group discussions. Findings The three elements of CoI – cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence played a major role in knowledge construction in the OEReL process. A complementary relationship between cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence was observed, where the three elements have interacted in supporting knowledge construction. Overall, the findings reaffirm the significant of role of instructors in cultivating the three presences within a peer-facilitated environment, by enabling learners to engage with the content in a meaningful manner through appropriate course design, structure and leadership. Practical implications Forum discussions created an opportunity for participants to engage in meaning making through social negotiation, where facilitation became a shared responsibility among instructors and learners. Peer-facilitation was the key strength that promoted critical, analytical and reflective thinking, as well as self-regulated learning. The SBL design, learning tasks with OER integration, and instructor guidance were the most supportive factors, while time constraints due to the participants’ workload was challenging. Originality/value Through carefully orchestrated, well-structured and pedagogically sound OEReL environments, peer-facilitated forum discussions can be designed creatively and implemented in a meaningful manner to enhance knowledge construction.

scholarly journals Integrating students’ perspectives about online learning: a hierarchy of factors

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Montgomery Van Wart ◽  
Anna Ni ◽  
Pamela Medina ◽  
Jesus Canelon ◽  
Melika Kordrostami ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Instructional Support ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Comfort

AbstractThis article reports on a large-scale (n = 987), exploratory factor analysis study incorporating various concepts identified in the literature as critical success factors for online learning from the students’ perspective, and then determines their hierarchical significance. Seven factors--Basic Online Modality, Instructional Support, Teaching Presence, Cognitive Presence, Online Social Comfort, Online Interactive Modality, and Social Presence--were identified as significant and reliable. Regression analysis indicates the minimal factors for enrollment in future classes—when students consider convenience and scheduling—were Basic Online Modality, Cognitive Presence, and Online Social Comfort. Students who accepted or embraced online courses on their own merits wanted a minimum of Basic Online Modality, Teaching Presence, Cognitive Presence, Online Social Comfort, and Social Presence. Students, who preferred face-to-face classes and demanded a comparable experience, valued Online Interactive Modality and Instructional Support more highly. Recommendations for online course design, policy, and future research are provided.

The Community of Inquiry Framework, Online and Blended Learning, and the i2Flex Classroom Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Karen Swan
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
The University

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework was developed by researchers at the University of Alberta who were interested in exploring the learning that took place among participants in online discussions. Garrison, Anderson, and Archer grounded their thinking in Dewey's progressive epistemology which placed inquiry within a community of learners at the center of the educational experience. The CoI model they created conceptualizes learning in online environments as supported by three interacting presences – social presence, cognitive presence, and teaching presence. This chapter will describe the CoI framework, briefly review research supporting its efficacy in online course design and implementation, and explore how the framework can be applied to blended and online learning environments in general and the i2Flex model in particular.

Ensuring Presence in Online Learning Environments

2016 ◽  
pp. 350-376
Author(s):  
Eunice Luyegu
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Online Learning Environments

Online learning in higher education has rapidly grown in recent years and has become the norm. However, pedagogical aspects on online learning environments are still developing. This chapter focuses on one foundational aspect of online and blended learning known as presence. First, the concept of presence in online learning is described i.e. teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Secondly, strategies for ensuring presence are discussed from different angles: course design, course instructors and course facilitators, and course participants. Thirdly, the implications for future research are outlined. This chapter enhances the research on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework a useful guide to the design of learning experiences that support learners' critical reflection and engagement within collaborative online learning environments.

scholarly journals Establishing the Importance of Interaction and Presence to Student Learning in Online Environments

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lydia Kyei-Blankson ◽  
Esther Ntuli ◽  
Heather Donnelly
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Instructor Interaction ◽  
Learner Interaction ◽  
Online Environments

<p><em>With the growing trends in favor of online course offerings in higher education, it is important that researchers continue to focus on investigating the components vital to effectiveness. Using a survey design, the elements of interaction and presence, and their relationship and influence on student learning in an online course is examined in the current study. The findings of the study suggest that students perceive instructor-learner and learner-content interaction to be more important to their learning as compared to learner-learner interaction. In addition, teaching presence plays a more important role in student learning followed by cognitive presence and then social presence. Again, when it comes to the combination of the factors of interaction and presence, the factors that students perceive to have the most influence on their learning are teaching presence and learner-instructor interaction with the least important factor being learner-learner interaction. Overall, the results of this empirical study have implications for online course design and delivery to ensure student learning in online environments.</em><em></em></p>

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMMUNITY OF INQUIRY OVER TIME IN AN ONLINE COURSE: UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRESSION AND INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL, COGNITIVE AND TEACHING PRESENCE

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zehra Akyol ◽  
D. Randy Garrison
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Community Of Inquiry Framework ◽  
Discussion Postings ◽  
Over Time

The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamics of an online educational experience through the lens of the Community of Inquiry framework. Transcript analysis of online discussion postings and the Community of Inquiry survey were applied in order to understand the progression and integration of each of the Community of Inquiry presences. The results indicated significant change in teaching and social presence categories over time. Moreover, survey results yielded significant relationships among teaching presence, cognitive presence and social presence, and students’ perceived learning and satisfaction in the course.

scholarly journals The teacher as leader: Effect of teaching behaviors on class community and agreement

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Rubin ◽  
Ronald Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Teaching Behaviors ◽  
Group Leaders ◽  
Class Level ◽  
Class Leaders ◽  
Group Agreement

<p>This article examines the effects of teaching behaviors in online university classes, focusing on the agreement among class members. Literature on group leaders’ effects on group agreement about workplace climate is reviewed. Hypotheses are generated about the effects that teachers of online courses, as class leaders, have on both the level and agreement about the community of inquiry. They are tested with a sample of 874 students in 126 online courses. The aggregate class level and strength of agreement about the teaching presence have significant effects on the level and agreement about cognitive presence and social presence. Although the aggregate levels and agreement about community of inquiry are related, different patterns emerge.</p><p>The paper explores the interaction effects of level and agreement, finding that in classes with high levels of teaching presence, the higher the agreement about teaching presence, the higher the agreement about cognitive and social presence especially for classes reporting stronger levels of cognitive and social presence. In classes with lower levels of teaching presence, agreement has a different effect.</p>

Creating the digital citizen: students’ co-construction of meaning for global citizenship during online discussions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis study examines whether online asynchronous discussion forums support student’s meaning-making about citizenship in a globalizing world. Citizenship is an increasingly contested identity for young people, yet they have few opportunities in traditional civic education to consider their own citizenship. Although online discussions are considered effective spaces for increasing dialogue and critical thinking between diverse students, there has been little research to understand how effective they are for helping students to construct new understandings of citizenship.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis approach was used to analyze and code 89 discussion board posts. The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) coding scheme was used to describe and analyze the quality of knowledge construction that occurred across the posts focusing on different aspects of global citizenship.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that the discussion boards produced substantive talks about the meaning of citizenship that in some instances reached the level of new knowledge construction. The students considered different meanings for global citizenship and negotiated positions on key issues. However, the highest levels of knowledge construction were rarely reached.Practical implicationsA major implication is the need to organize and cue discussion boards to support knowledge construction in addition to fostering dialogue.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the role that technology can play in supporting students’ knowledge construction about global citizenship that go beyond the scripted meanings conveyed in civics classes.

Fostering Social Presence in a Blended Learning Faculty Development Institute

2013 ◽  
pp. 374-388
Author(s):  
David S. Goldstein ◽  
Carol Leppa ◽  
Andreas Brockhaus ◽  
Rebecca Bliquez ◽  
Ian Porter
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Faculty Members ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Course Development ◽  
Hybrid Course ◽  
Blended Courses ◽  
Development Institute

To help faculty develop well-designed blended courses, the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) was used to design and deliver a ten-week Hybrid Course Development Institute (HCDI) for faculty members from a variety of disciplines. The faculty experienced a blended format and developed courses based on the three components of the CoI framework: cognitive presence, teaching presence, and social presence, the last of which is particularly challenging to achieve. This chapter provides an overview of the HCDI structure, content, and assessment, and suggests ways to foster social presence in and beyond a blended learning institute for faculty members.

Building Teaching Presence in Online Classes

2016 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Dreon
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Teaching Presence ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Online Teachers ◽  
Critical Elements ◽  
Teacher Presence ◽  
Instruction And Learning

In their framework outlining educational experiences for online students, Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) identify and explain the critical elements of a Community of Inquiry that support instruction and learning. The elements include: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. While an online educational experience is impacted by the interplay of all three presences, new online teachers may struggle with developing a teaching presence since their own educational experiences as students may be very different from the ones they encounter as online instructors (Lortie, 1975). In this book chapter, the importance of teaching presence will be discussed. Strategies for developing online teacher presence will be examined and technologies for fostering teacher presence will be outlined. The chapter concludes with broad design principles that apply to the construction of online learning environments that foster a strong teacher presence.

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