Community of inquiry (COI) as framework for online/blended learning course design

Different computer mediated tools can be used to communicate information for an effective educational experience in an online or blended learning. The Community of Inquiry (COI) framework has the potential to contribute to online education by addressing the nexus of pedagogy, technology, and learners’ needs (Smadi, Parker, Gillham, & Müller, 2019). Most nurse educators do not use an explicit theoretical framework to guide the design or evaluation of their nursing teaching and learning. But this theoretical framework (COI) and instructional design is essential for building online or blended course because it creates teaching, learning, thinking and sharing space through the combination of three domains-teacher presence (related largely to pedagogy), social presence, and cognitive presence (critical thinking) (Mills et al., 2016).

Other blended learning tools such as Skype and weblogs (blogs) were found to be extremely beneficial as a form of online communication and support for students undertaking an international placement (Stephens & Hennefer, 2013). A blended learning model like COI, which incorporates video-assisted online resources, may be a useful tool to teach clinical skills to students of health including nursing (Coyne et al., 2018). Blended learning is often preferred by students due to its flexibility. There are also powerful tools for video creation or sharing like screen-o-matic, blogger and You Tube channel that can be used for teaching and learning in blended course designs. Blended learning video resources to teach health students clinical skills is useful because it can allow for different student learning styles, repeated viewing and enabled links between theory and practice (Coyne et al., 2018). Even the simulated case videos as blended learning resources, increases the students’ understanding of best practice and provides link between theory and clinical practice.

However, a mixed method study indicated that videos did not help an online class of nursing students with behavioural engagement and did not help students have a fun learning experience (Luo & Kalman, 2018). But the teaching presence in the videos created a positive and supportive learning environment necessary for giving students the opportunity to engage with learning contents (Luo & Kalman, 2018).  The teaching presence in the community of inquiry framework should be present during instructional design. For instance, the feedback from the teacher on the class weblog or blog establishes support and helps students to think critically. Individual blogs of students creates an ownership or autonomy to express themselves and learn from each other –social-cognitive presence. Video creation using screen-o-matic with teacher presence, cognitive presence and social presence gives meaning is an effective educational experience.

There is a positive effect of blended learning course and flipped classroom on the health students’ knowledge by increasing their homework’s time (Marchalot et al., 2018). This gives the adult learner autonomy to learn at own pace and is useful to incorporate with the Flipped the classroom method. So the use of tools such as screencast-o-matic and You Tube is effective in education experience because a link can be shared via electronic mail, post on blog or any other social media accounts in which the students prefer to access the videos at anytime.  

In summary, teaching presence is important to facilitate social and cognitive presence in the learning environment. The learning environment can be online, blended or face-to-face classroom. Pre-recorded videos using screencast-o-matic is useful to include teaching, social and cognitive presence, and then sharing the video in You Tube link sets the climate for social and cognitive presence; the participants or students will be able to express themselves and contribute to the meaningful understanding of the content. The link in You Tube can be shared on weblog and then it can further be shared to other social media websites such as facebook or twitter. Using tools like that to share information is a great educational experience in which all the elements  of community of inquiry framework is used; teaching, social and cognitive presence. The weblog experience creates autonomy of students to express their understanding of the content and also learn from each other. Community of inquiry (COI) is used as a framework for online or blended learning course design as well as presentation media such as You Tube, screen-o-matic and weblog or blog.

References

Coyne, E., Rands, H., Frommolt, V., Kain, V., Plugge, M., & Mitchell, M. (2018). Investigation of blended learning video resources to teach health students clinical skills: An integrative review. Nurse Education Today, 63, 101–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.021
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical inquiry in a text-based

environment: Computer conferencing in higher education model. The Internet and Higher Education.

Luo, S., & Kalman, M. (2018). Using summary videos in online classes for nursing students: A mixed methods study. Nurse Education Today, 71, 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.09.032

Marchalot, A., Dureuil, B., Veber, B., Fellahi, J.-L., Hanouz, J.-L., Dupont, H., … Compère, V. (2018). Effectiveness of a blended learning course and flipped classroom in first year anaesthesia training. Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine, 37(5), 411–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accpm.2017.10.008

Mills, J., Yates, K., Harrison, H., Woods, C., Chamberlain-Salaun, J., Trueman, S., & Hitchins, M. (2016). Using a community of inquiry framework to teach a nursing and midwifery research subject: An evaluative study. Nurse Education Today, 43, 34–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.04.016

Smadi, O., Parker, S., Gillham, D., & Müller, A. (2019). The applicability of community of inquiry framework to online nursing education: A cross-sectional study. Nurse Education in Practice, 34, 17–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2018.10.003

Stephens, M., & Hennefer, D. (2013). Internationalising the nursing curriculum using a Community of Inquiry Framework and blended learning. Nurse Education in Practice, 13(3), 170–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2012.08.010

NB:Please take some time to watch this You tube video about 'Windows 10 screen recorder' to help you do your screencast for online/blended course design and taking into consideration the COI framework; teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence for an effective, meaningful educational experience.