“Appendix C: Community of Inquiry: Student Self-Assessment and Exploration Tool” in “Principles of Blended Learning”
Appendix C
Community of Inquiry: Student Self-Assessment and Exploration Tool
Find a digital template that you can print or make a copy at https://tinyurl.com/coistudent.
Welcome to our learning community. This course is built with the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework. A large part of the model is based upon the belief that we all have shared responsibility to contribute to teaching and learning. You can do this by building your skills in three key areas: supporting the discourse, setting the climate, and self- and co-regulation of learning. This self-assessment tool is built to help you make practical connections to the CoI framework. Embedded throughout the tool are links to emotional presence and affective learning outcomes through attention to increasing feelings of engagement, curiosity, belonging, pride, gratitude, and confidence regulating or reducing feelings of discomfort and hesitation. Consider this tool both an advanced organizer and an in situ reflection tool.
Instructions: Read the behavioural indicator in the first column and give yourself a rating of (1) never, (2) rarely, (3) sometimes, (4) often, or (5) always at the beginning, the midpoint, and the end of the course. Celebrate your success and use the second and third columns to develop a deeper understanding of the learning theory that is the foundation of CoI learning. Reflect and document growth and development throughout the course.
Cognitive Presence
Triggering Event
Triggering events are dilemmas or problems that have practical resonance. They often include deeper questioning and generation of constructive ideas (Garrison, 2017).
CoI Survey Item | CoI Overlap | Emotional Presence/Learning Connection |
|---|---|---|
I pose problems and questions that help to engage and increase my own and my peers’ interest in the course concepts. | Regulating learning | Increase engagement Increase interest |
I attempt to add content and discussion that triggers cohesive inquiry, open mindedness, and interest in deeper exploration. | Regulating learning | Increase curiosity Increase interest |
Exploration
This involves exploring problems, linking new and prior knowledge, and providing and deliberating possible contingencies and solutions.
I am motivated to explore content-related questions, and I encourage my peers to explore these questions. | Supporting discourse | Increase curiosity Increase interest Increase belonging/inclusion Increase self-regulation |
I participate in discussions in a way that helps my peers to appreciate different perspectives and express emotions in relation to content. | Supporting discourse | Increase acceptance Honour diversity Emotional literacy |
I create opportunities for collective brainstorming that help me and my peers to explore content dilemmas and related questions. | Regulating learning | Increase confidence Increase pride Increase self-directedness |
I provide a variety of information sources (literature and links) to help me and my peers think collaboratively to explore problems. | Regulating learning | Promote mastery Increase curiosity |
Integration
In the integration phase, you might feel dissonance as you appraise the collective dialogue about personal beliefs, experiences, and practical examples related to course content. Integration involves a combination of critical, creative, and intuitive thinking that occurs as you construct meaning and experience deep learning.
I utilize opportunities for reflection on course content and discussion that help me and my peers to connect ideas to understand fundamental course concepts. | Supporting discourse | Increase metacognitive awareness Increase critical thinking |
I create opportunities for me and my peers to combine information to explore questions raised in course activities by using a combination of reflection, discourse, and reflexivity. | Regulating learning | Generate curiosity Increase reflection Increase reflexivity |
I feel confident to apply learning strategies that help me and my peers to examine rationally assumptions, ideas, and evidence to confirm understanding. | Regulating learning | Increase confidence Increase pride Promote co-regulation Increase metacognition |
Resolution
Resolution can come from reducing complexity by constructing order or discovering a contextually specific solution to a defined problem.
I use the discussion board to discuss/describe how I apply knowledge from the course. | Regulating learning | Increase metacognition |
I have developed contextually specific solutions to course problems. | Regulating learning | Increase pride Increase confidence |
I can directly apply the knowledge created in this course to my everyday life and/or work. | Regulating learning | Increase confidence Increase lifelong learning disposition |
Teaching Presence
Design and Organization
At the student level, this is about structuring, planning, and choosing what to add in terms of links, resources, and materials that stimulate meaningful reflection. Garrison (2017) uses the phrase “broadening and channeling course content.” He also discusses the idea of influencing content based upon evolving needs.
I actively engage to meet important due dates/time frames for the course activities. | Setting/cultivating climate | Decrease hesitation Self-regulation and planning |
I participate in broadening and channelling course content to aid collective understanding. | Supporting discourse | Reduce confusion Promote shared metacognition |
I direct attention and effort to participate in course learning activities, based upon the evolving needs of our learning community. | Regulating learning | Increase comfort |
Facilitation
Facilitation is the central activity in an educational Community of Inquiry for developing worthwhile learning experiences as well as awareness and strategies (shared metacognition) through sustained reflection and discourse among the students and the teacher. Facilitative actions by both the students and the teacher create the climate, support discourse, and monitor learning.
I help to identify areas of agreement and disagreement on course topics with my peers in a way that nurtures a shared learning experience. | Supporting discourse | Reduce ambiguity Increase metacognition Increase task motivation |
My actions reinforce and develop responsibility for the collaborative climate and sense of community. | Setting and cultivating climate | Increase belonging Increase co-regulation |
I encourage my peers to explore new concepts in this course by showing appreciation of and gratitude for well-reasoned responses. | Regulating learning | Increase curiosity |
I feel confident taking on the role of teacher for my peers when the opportunity arises. | Regulating learning | Increase self-efficacy Increase confidence |
I keep my peers engaged and participating in productive dialogue in this course. | Supporting discourse | Increase engagement Decrease boredom Increase co-regulation |
I am helpful in guiding our course discussions toward understanding key concepts in a way that helps us all to clarify our thinking. | Regulating learning | Increase metacognitive monitoring |
Direct Instruction
Direct instruction is not about lecturing; it is about scholarly and pedagogical leadership. Direct instruction is an essential ingredient of any formal educational experience in order to help students learn how to take responsibility collaboratively to monitor and manage their learning (shared metacognition).
I help to focus our course discussions on relevant issues in a way that leads to deeper exploration. | Setting and cultivating climate | Increase engagement Increase interest Increase metacognition |
I contribute to our course discussions in a timely fashion. | Regulating learning | Increase motivation |
I add to course discussions and activities in a way that connects outside resources and personal examples. | Regulating learning | Increase self-efficacy |
Social Presence
Affective (Personal) Expression
“A respectful and supportive climate is important to establish the emotional and intellectual conditions necessary for critical reflection and discourse” (Garrison, 2017, p. 45).
I ask questions to get to know my peers in order to create a sense of belonging. | Setting and cultivating climate | Promote belonging |
I create opportunities to let my peers get to know me on a personal level. | Setting and cultivating climate | Promote belonging Extend trust |
I approach discussion in a way that models respectful and supportive interaction. | Supporting discourse | Increase comfort Increase confidence Promote inclusion |
Open Communication
“Open communication is built through a process of recognizing, complementing, and responding to the questions and contributions of others, thereby . . . encouraging reflective participation and discourse” (Garrison, 2017, p. 46).
I try to ensure that my peers feel comfortable conversing about related topics in this course. | Setting and cultivating climate | Increase comfort |
I work to ensure that my peers feel that our learning community is a safe space for emotional expression and respectful participation. | Supporting discourse | Increase comfort Promote risk-free expression Increase trust |
Group Cohesion
I work to ensure that my peers feel comfortable disagreeing with each other while still maintaining a sense of trust. | Setting and cultivating climate | Promote belonging |
I work to ensure that my peers believe that their points of view are acknowledged before adding my own understanding. | Setting and cultivating climate | Honour diversity Extend acceptance Emotional resonance |
I participate in or lead learning activities that help to develop a sense of collaboration. | Setting and cultivating climate | Shared metacognition Belonging Sustained motivation |
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