JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Nowadays most universities offer distance-based programmes, but a concern of online courses is that physical interaction is removed, and therefore learning may be diminished. The Community of Inquiry is a framework designed to support the educational experience of such courses. The results show that a community of inquiry can be created within the different learning activities of the course. Discussion forums integral to online courses are a rich source of interaction, with the ability to promote social interaction, teaching presence and cognitive learning. This study shows that interaction between faculty and student can be achieved in online courses which is important to ensure deep learning and reflection.

Objective:

The framework has been studied extensively in the literature, but this article aims to examine faculty and student interaction and to explore the experience of the community of inquiry across the whole of an entirely online masters course.

Methods:

The study used a case study and mixed method approach to explore the interactions between students and faculty within the course. A quantitative survey and qualitative analysis of transcripts between students and faculty were studied.

Results:

The results show that a community of inquiry can be created within the different learning activities of the course. Discussion forums integral to online courses are a rich source of interaction, with the ability to promote social interaction, teaching presence and cognitive learning.

Conclusions:

This study shows that interaction between faculty and student can be achieved in online courses which is important to ensure deep learning and reflection.