Professor (Emeritus) Terry Anderson introduced the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework and the relevance of learners´ interaction in the webinar Social Presence and Interaction in E-learning arranged by Eden Digital Learning Europe (2021). In this context Anderson reflects upon the question “Why community?” and underlines that “there is lots of evidence about the value of a community that generates commitment and belonging. It is a building block for future friendships, social capital…”. Anderson explains that “it leads to persistence and motivation…When people become adapted to and start leaning on and benefiting from the community, then their motivation, their persistency, increases.”
Anderson, and other researchers, has within the frame of the Community of Inquiry Model studied the major features of Social presence, Cognitive Presence and Teaching presence. (Anderson, 2021; see also Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013). Indicators have been developed. One of the Social Presence Indicators should, as expressed by Anderson in the webinar, be humor!
Worth considering is that in the model one of the concepts is Teaching Presence, not Teacher Presence. It is not only the teacher who teach, “the community members start to teach each other as well… Sometimes it is formally requested to do so and sometimes they just do it informally” (Andersson, 2021).
Andersson points out that there are “proposed additions to the COI Model” and one suggested revision is in his view especially relevant: A revised COI Model could include the addition of the “learner presence” (Shia and Bidjerano, 2010, see Andersson 2021). As Andersson express it: “No matter how good we get those other three. If the learners are not there, if they are not attending, if the learners are not motivated, we are not likely to get much learning to happen”! I couldn´t have formulated this better myself. This is, in my view, one of the most important insights for a teacher.
References
Andersson, T. (2021). Introduction to Community of Inquiry Model and Learning Interactions. Social Presence and Interaction in E-Learning. EDEN Digital Learning Europe.
Vaughan, Norman D., Cleveland-Innes, Martha & Garrison, D. Randy (2013) . Teaching in Blended Learning Environments. AU Press.
