Learning Technologies Overview
Learning technologies have expanded in usage and availability, but may be limited in their application to developing a collaborative environment for a community of inquiry. At the origin of online learning was computer conferencing. It was quickly apparent that it had different properties and applications than face to face learning and would require a different approach. The two critical components to meaningful inquiry are feedback and discourse. Pioneering technologies did not readily provide this. Communication is key to learning, and technologies increase the ability to communicate, but this communication may be more social communication instead of collaborative communication (Garrison, 2017).
We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community… Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. —Cesar Chavez
Garrison explored several categories of technology and their contributions to eLearning in his book. Web 2.0 changed the internet from a text-based means of providing information to a multimedia source providing: videos, blogs, discussion forums, and wikis. Learning management systems offer technological ways to organize and deliver content in an online format. Social media provides the means to share snapshots of life, but this communication remains superficial due to text limitations and the lack of substantive conversation. Research has shown an inverse relationship between the use of social media and reflective thought.
Mobile learning or cell phones make content easily accessible, but it is difficult to type a lengthy response or paper on a cell phone. According to Garrison (2017), cell phones are ubiquitous, and instead of restricting their use in a classroom, they must be effectively incorporated into engaged learning. MOOCs are massive online classes that cost-effectively deliver content to large numbers of people. Garrison points out that very few MOOCs are given college credit because they do not represent engaged learning, and there is a lack of quality control.
Learning technologies have enormous potential to advance learning. How best to utilize them in collaborative work is still being determined. There is the risk that ready access may lead to more superficial content delivery instead of facilitating communication in a community of learners collaborating in productive discourse (Garrison, 2017).
Blended Learning Overview
According to Garrison, approximately 80% of US institutions of higher learning offer blended learning courses. Blended learning combines the benefits of face-to-face instruction and communication with the convenience of online activities. A blended learning class does not mean just adding online activities to an already established face-to-face class.
Blended learning can enhance a face-to-face classroom by allowing for more discourse through discussion posts and more reflection through written activities. The hope is that passive listening to lectures will be replaced with more engaging activities and collaborative inquiry. Blended learning may provide a solution for the large classes found in a university that must rely on lectures alone due to their large class size. If lectures and instructional materials were available online, then limited classroom time could be more effectively used for team projects, labs, and small group instruction (Garrison, 2017).
Blended learning has several advantages over either face to face or online learning by itself. Blended learning, by use of its online component, provides a means for communication outside of the classroom and has been found to contribute to greater group cohesiveness. Asynchronous writing communication allows time for deeper reflection and revision of student thoughts and frequently leads to more comfort with expressing opinions and ideas in the classroom.
Some studies cited by Garrison (2017) state that blended learning leads to learning the material better and in half the time. Students in blended learning environments express higher perceptions of learning, greater satisfaction, and higher completion rates. According to Garrison, the face-to-face environment is preferable for initiating the discussion; the online environment is ideal for exploration and continuing the debate, with the final resolution phase discussed in the face-to-face classroom (Garrison, 2017).
Guidelines for Practice Overview
Designing a curriculum requires identifying learning activities that are congruent with the intended outcomes of the course, but keep in mind the technical constraints, the learner abilities, and the subject matter. There are four main categories of learning activities: listening, talking, reading, and writing.
Talking and writing are both limited in face-to-face classrooms. Talking due to class size limitations and writing due to time constraints for in-depth grading and providing feedback. In an online classroom, students can listen by reading and talk by writing (Garrison, 2017).
Garrison (2017) lists seven principles to follow for teaching and learning in the community of inquiry framework:
1. Plan for the creation of open communication and trust.
2. Plan for critical reflection and discourse.
3. Establish community and cohesion.
4. Establish inquiry dynamics.
5. Sustain respect and responsibility.
6. Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution.
7. Ensure assessment is congruent with intended processes and outcomes
Garrison (2017) provides several tips to teachers on the design and organization of the online classroom, including the following:
- Work to balance facilitation with direct instruction to provide the greatest opportunity for student collaboration.
- Present yourself as a guiding member in the community of inquiry and not as an authority figure.
- Focus on using collaborative inquiry to make meaning, not in relaying information in a lecture-style or a self-instructional learning package.
- Welcome each student and make them feel they are part of a cohesive group, but social interaction must be relegated to a chat board or coffee shop.
- Set group sizes so they maximize the potential for reflective thinking and critical discourse.
- Develop case studies and problem-based learning problems that mirror real-world issues and situations.
- Develop content so it is not overwhelming.
- Encourage dialogue and label discussion posts based on the phase of inquiry.
- Provide feedback promptly and diagnose misconceptions to facilitate the learning process.
- Design assessments that clearly align with the learning outcomes (Garrison, 2017).
Assessment and Evaluation Overview
Assessments are necessary for any educational activity to determine the learner’s processes and outcomes, and should be in the form of both formative (throughout the course) and summative (at the end of the course). Students will tailor their efforts towards the assessment criteria if they feel they lack discretionary time. If collaborative learning and inquiry are meant to be the course outcomes, then the assessment must clearly show that.
Formative feedback must be designed to evaluate both the collaborative and individual efforts. Garrison (2017) suggests creating a comprehensive group project in which each member identifies their contribution. Assessments in the way of formative feedback allow students to compare their work to benchmarks in the activity rubric as well as keep them motivated to stay on course.
Since participation is such an integral part of an online course, it must also be assessed. Teachers should make sure that their assessments do not lead to overly structured discourse. Students must also have input into the assessment process. If they have no input, they will not buy into the community aspect of eLearning. For this reason, the assessment criteria for participation should be readily available to students and be easily understood.
One idea suggested was to have students submit a final paper in which they quote their discussion posts with the thought being that if they did not participate, they would not have anything to mention. Teaching is a fluid role. Students must assume some responsibility for it as a course develops to develop shared metacognition. Studies cited by Garrison (2017) showed that student’s perceived learning was directly correlated to the participation grade weight in the course. Course management systems can be used to track discussion posts and logins. New technologies are being developed to assess discussion post content better (Garrison, 2017).
Evaluation is a different process and results in determining the effectiveness of a particular course in both its delivery method and in fulfilling its stated intent. Course evaluation should assess the content delivered for both accuracy and biases, as well as the assessment methods used by the instructor. Surveys should be developed to determine how well the students felt supported. Finally, the course outcomes should be evaluated for effectiveness (Garrison, 2017).
Organizational Issues Overview
There is a higher education movement away from lectures in large classes and towards online and blended learning. This movement will help alleviate both financial and large class size concerns. Campuses have always been the physical location for a scholarly community, but with the internet, that is no longer a requirement.
The first step in moving from the antiquated lecture-based delivery method is policy development. The institutional policy must be developed that is focused, endorsed by all, and provides necessary resources for real change. The goals and objectives must be attainable and clearly laid out.
A collaborative, not a hierarchical management structure, must be designed to be adaptive and willing to advocate for change. Just as the community of inquiry framework provides a method for collaborative inquiry in the classroom, this same collaborative community of inquiry should be utilized at the leadership level (Garrison, 2017).
A major stumbling block to movement away from lecture-based curriculum delivery to a more collaborative inquiry-based curriculum using an online or blended delivery method is the faculty. Lecture-based curriculum delivery is all many of them have ever known. An intensive, longitudinal faculty development program will be needed to help with both understanding new curriculum methods as well as developing familiarity with technology.
The community of inquiry framework can be used in these sessions to familiarize faculty with the different critical elements of the framework in a trusting environment as well as begin to use the necessary technology. It will take time for all the faculty to learn and adopt new curriculum methods. They must be supported both in time and finances by leadership to allow this to occur successfully (Garrison, 2017).
Future Directions Overview
Garrison (2017) summarized his points in the final chapter of the book. He said that e-learning educators must be careful not to confuse either social media or the glitz of learning technologies with the utilization of technology for a collaborative blended learning experience. Early concerns that universities would outlive their usage have been unfounded.
Still, universities who do not move away from antiquated lecture-based education in large lecture halls will be left behind. The community of inquiry framework has been in place for 15 years and has undergone significant research as well as provided a platform for future research. A future area of research focuses on how to incorporate the community of inquiry framework into a vast array of disciplines, student levels, and technologies (Garrison, 2017).
In one study on adaptation of a community of learning in a K12 setting, after weekly sessions, students were found to have a marked increase in cognitive abilities that were still present in follow-up two and three years later when compared to a control group. The community of learning survey was developed to provide a tool to quantitatively assess the utility of the framework (Garrison, 2017).
Garrison (2017) points out that looking too far into the future has only shown a 10% success rate. Still, the marked contrast between the passive lecture-based curriculum method and the collaborative community of inquiry is stark. The movement from a competitive assessment method to a collective effort for inquiry and meaning-making is the only method that makes sense in the current world where people can get any information they want at any time. Creativity and innovation in a collaborative environment will continue to nurture further achievement (Garrison, 2017).
A Community of Inquiry Survey Overview
The Community of Inquiry Survey Instrument is organized around three presences: teaching, social, and cognitive. In the teaching presence, the three main areas: design and organization, facilitation, and direct instruction, are all assessed. The teaching area of the survey is focused on the instructor and assesses their ability to design a clear and organized curriculum as well as balance facilitation with direct instruction. In the social presence section, affective expression, open communication, and the ability to develop group cohesion are evaluated. The final part of the survey assesses the cognitive presence. It asks learners about the four phases of curriculum development: triggering event, exploration, integration, and resolution. Learners are asked to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of each step in the process (Garrison, 2017).
Shared Metacognition Questionnaire
The shared metacognition questionnaire was developed to delineate the responsibilities of a student when they are engaged in the learning process as an individual and when engaged in the learning process as a member of the group. These strategies for maximizing shared metacognition can be utilized in an online classroom, blended classroom, or a face-to-face classroom (Garrison, 2017).
References
Garrison, D.R. (2017). E-learning in the 21st century: A community of inquiry framework for research and practice. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
