Internet Learning Volume 1, Number 1, Fall 2012 | Page 9

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Internet Learning

designers in creating, developing, and applying content and courses for students in online
learning environments. One of the most recognized models of online learning, the Community of
Inquiry (CoI) Framework, utilized by various institutions of higher education, educational
leaders, and other organizations, provides explanation for best practices in online learning.
Tested, validated, and used for development, instruction, assessment, and evaluation, the CoI
guides practitioners in their creation and application of methods and tools to support student
learning and add to opportunities for deeper engagement in the course, increased academic
success, and continued persistence in education. Community is the foremost component of the
CoI. Students who view themselves as part of a community of learners within the course, and,
throughout the program, are more engaged as community is “an essential element in achieving
the higher levels of learning associated with discourse and collaborative learning” (Ice and
Kupczynski 2009, para 2).
Three main components, or presences, provide the structure of the CoI Framework:
teaching, social, and cognitive (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer 2000; Swan et al. 2008). Design,
facilitation, and direction laid out for the cognitive and social presences create the navigational
map for a learner. The instructional elements of the teaching presence must connect the student
meaningfully to learning outcomes. Activities within the course, the architectural framework of
the discussion, and flow of facilitation, as well as contact with students through direct
instruction, focusing, and resolving issues, complete the presence (Garrison, Anderson, and
Archer 2000). Bush et al. (2010) determined that teaching presence is a significant factor in
online and blended courses and that when teacher presence is low then student participation and
satisfaction is low. Muilenburg and Berge (2005) reported a significant relationship between
teacher presence and a student’s enthusiasm for the class.
Social presence is the degree to which participants in computer-mediated communication
feel socially and emotionally connected (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer 2000, Swan et al.
2008). Social presence sets the climate of the learning env