Comparing Community of Inquiry and Online Collaborative Learning

Comparing Community of Inquiry and Online Collaborative Learning

1. Community of Inquiry

   • Doesn't really list specific instructional guidelines and, as such is more of a theory than a model
   • Subject matter expert, intellectual/scholarly leader; Designer, facilitator, & director of learners' social & cognitive processes, Interaction facilitator, 'master learner'
     • Notice that the teacher is concerned with cognitive & social/motivational factors.
     • To be present - cognitively & socially; to work with group to explore, integrate, and resolve ideas; to interact and to help become 'master learner'
       • Content - activity or reading - triggers intellectual curiosity; discussion becomes part of content to explore, integrate, resolve ideas
         • Discussion, Direction Instruction, pragmatic inquiry
           • Online environments - synchronous & asynchronous
             • Increased engagement, excellent for developing HOTS, faculty may find it easier to transition to collaborative learning since this theory has elements of direct instruction,
               • Complex, evaluating indicators for social, cognitive, teaching presence is challenging & time-consuming, a lot of pressure on teacher to create and maintain an optimal educational experience. Difficult to get students to go beyond the 'exploration' phase.

2. Online Collaborative Learning Theory

   • Lists specific instructional activities so it's more of a model in support of the theory of collaborative learning
   • Act as representative 'expert' in field with knowledge of values/norms/foundational knowledge in field. Lead the group through discussion & contribute to knowledge community
     • Engage in discourse - brainstorm, organize, synthesize
       • Discussion is primary source of content,; textbooks, etc. are 'supplementary
         • Asynchronous Discussion
           • online asynchronous environments; primary learning objectives/outcomes are HOTS
             • Excellent for developing higher order thinking skills
               • Helping maintain intellectual rigor in discussions is time consuming; this model doesn't scale well. Also, in its original form, it doesn't support STEM well.. Discussion is a highly culturally contextualized activity. This could be challenging for cliverse classrooms.
     • Notice that the teacher's primary focus is on cognitive development. Not much mention is made of social/motivational factors.

3. Role of Teacher

   • Role of Student
     • Role of Content
       • Instructional Methods Used
         • Context
           • Benefits
             • Challenges