Building Community in Online Courses

About

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do as an online instructor is to focus your attention on building a Community of Inquiry (CoI). A Community of Inquiry is characterized in Garrison, Anderson, and Archer’s seminal work (1999) as students and teachers engaged in educational endeavors which leverages three central presences (social, cognitive, and instructor).

Application for Teaching and Learning

Evidence suggests that a well developed online course that focuses attention on the three presences in Garrison, et al. (1999) can enhance and facilitate a rich environment that is conducive to higher order thinking and student engagement. By strategically planning for opportunities to leverage and build the CoI, you help create a rich learning environment for students to work together and build knowledge through their interactions with you and their peers.

Steps for Implementation

1. Be yourself; be human.
2. Introduce yourself and your course to students at the beginning of the term.
3. Make your expectations, grading/assessment, and communication processes and procedures clear and easy to find.
4. Model and foster effective feedback, communication, and engagement
5. Have students introduce themselves in an introductory forum.
6. Create opportunities for students to connect and work together to co-construct knowledge.
7. Leverage technology with purpose and only when/where appropriate to enhance your course.
8. Utilize specific expectations for student engagement and course community guidelines/”netiquette”. See WesternOnline’s Community Expectations resource for more information.

Additional Resources

Garrison, D. Randy, Anderson, Terry, & Archer, Walter. (1999). Critical Inquiry in a Text-Based Environment: Computer Conferencing in Higher Education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2), 87-105.

• Faculty Focus: Five Ways to Build Community in Online Classrooms
• Sadera, William et al. “The Role of Community in Online Learning Success.” (2009).
• Purdue University: Community of Inquiry Framework
• WesternOnline Community Expectations