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By now you’ve likely realized the extent of planning that goes into a well-crafted online course. The ways in which form and function combine alongside time and space — the way your course will express and facilitate convergence — lays the groundwork for accommodating a profound and meaningful learning experience. One way of examining this convergence is by employing the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 1999).[1] Put forth at the turn of the millennium, the framework provides a foundation through which to establish an atmosphere of curated support. While much has changed and evolved in the last 20 years when it comes to how we learn and interact online, the model still serves as an excellent yardstick with which we can guide our thinking.
In this module, we’re going to explore the three tenets of the Community of Inquiry (social presence, teaching presence and cognitive presence), how they relate to online learning and how they work together to create an authentic and consequential learning experience.
Social Presence
As defined by the article’s authors, social presence refers to community members’ ability “to project their personal characteristics into the community, thereby presenting themselves … as “real people”” (Garrison, et al., 1999, p. 89).[2] While, hopefully, all the learners in your course will be “real people,” established social presence is what allows those real humans to represent themselves honestly and authentically. Co-creating communication guidelines and the utilization of engagement-oriented tools (things we covered in the previous chapter) work in service of this form of presence. By inviting learners to work together in shaping the course itself, your community is set up from the get-go as a safe space that welcomes a multiplicity of identities and methods of expression. How the socialization gets actualized and expressed will likely be as unique as your course!
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Activity: Spacing Out
Think about what kind of social environment you wish to cultivate. Will it be a long, sustained conversation? Or something shorter that will see people driving through and dropping off? Will the conversations be woven into the fabric of the course later? Or will they take on a more ephemeral format? Figuring out the qualities of the prospective conversation in advance will allow you to more easily select the necessary software/tools with which to fashion the space and guide your learners. If you’re having trouble, consider the showcase found in the Tool Dreamin’ section.
Even if you work to fashion a space that isn’t specifically geared toward the learning goals and course material, providing learners with multiple means to talk, emote and express themselves will do much to generate social presence within your community. Keep in mind, however, that even if you’ve collaboratively created guidelines for respectful communication, things can sometimes get messy. Your management or guidance of these additional spaces is i