Educational Communities of Inquiry: Theoretical Framework, Research and Practice

Akyol, a researcher and practitioner interested in teaching and learning online and blended learning environments, and Garrison (education, U. of Calgary, Canada) present 25 chapters by education and other researchers from Canada, the US, Europe, Japan, and South America. They examine the community of inquiry framework, which focuses on higher-level learning processes to develop learning environments through three elements: social presence (the sense of belonging through the development of climate and interpersonal relationships in the community); cognitive presence (the progression through the phases of practical inquiry to construct and confirm meaning through discourse); and teaching presence (the design, facilitation, and direction through a course of study). The chapters present research and practice associated with this framework, for researchers and practitioners, students, and educators, and discuss its theoretical foundations, philosophical roots, the place of metacognitive awareness, and its historical development in distance education, followed by design and implementation issues, including the role of teaching presence, blending synchronous and asynchronous online learning, the relationship between teaching presence and cognitive presence, promoting discussion skills, nurturing cognitive presence and fostering critical thinking, question prompts, group projects, blended foreign language courses, student retention, and assessment. The last two sections address administrative issues and organizational support and emerging research and practice issues. 

The chapters provide an in-depth overview and discussion of the theoretical foundations and developments in communities of inquiry, offering theory and practical applications in all aspects of higher education. [...] This book is valuable for anyone working on online education who wants to engage students more, wants to incorporate inquiry and critical thinking, and anyone considering entering the field of higher education.