Author Archives: Martha

Interaction in discussion boards provides variable engagement in the online classroom. Too many rules tied to the grading rubrics encourage students to limit their interactions to what is required. Not enough structure in the prompt discourages students from responding at all. To facilitate cognitive presence, the discussion prompt and expectations should be very clear. Ideally,Continue reading “Discussing discussion”

The community of inquiry (CoI) may be essential for teaching in a remote situation. How does this relate to the learning theory of the community of practice (CoP)? How do the teacher, social, and cognitive presences translate into the elements of the community of practice: the domain, the community and the practice. I believe theyContinue reading “Community of Inquiry meets Community of Practice”

The success of any online student is dependent on their own self efficacy. A student must be able to learn separate from other students and the instructors. A student must have some basic technological skills. A student must be able to locate the course syllabus, due dates, discussion boards. A student needs to be ableContinue reading “Self Efficacy/Learner Support”

The Community of Inquiry Framework does not include all potential presences in online learning. One such possible presence is that of learner-support. Learner support is often mentioned in terms of embedded librarianship, but it goes beyond that. Tutors, supplemental instruction, advisors, academic coaches, counselors are all part of the learner support team. While digital learningContinue reading “Learner Support Presence”

How do we construct meaning through sustained communication? The third presence in the Community of Inquiry Framework is the cognitive presence. This is, basically, thinking. As students, we create meaning through our reading, our communications, our actions, our activities. Not all students are prepared to bring a cognitive presence to the online classroom. Many thingsContinue reading “The Cognitive Presence”

Theory of online education proposes three areas that must be present for successful education. The Social Presence, the Cognitive Presence and the Teaching Presence. The social presence is often encouraged by the use of discussion boards in a learning management system. A standard practice is for students to write one post and then comment onContinue reading “The Social Presence”

The community of inquiry framework for online learning indicates that three themes are essential for effective education. There must be a social presence, a cognitive presence, and a teaching presence. Each piece is required for a successful online experience. How those presences balance each other is determined by the designer of that experience. The teachingContinue reading “Online learning: What is missing”