Communication technologies are a critical component in online distance education that enables learners and instructors to collaborate and cooperate in reflective and active learning spaces. In these transactional spaces, dialogue and discourse are exchanged to build knowledge among learners and their instructors. Burbules (1993) defines dialogue as, ” an activity directed toward discovery and new understanding, which stands to improve the knowledge, insight or sensitivity of its participants.” (p.9). However, as stated in the first sentence, communication technologies are a critical component. We must ask ourselves as online educators, how does the medium or delivery tool affect the online learning experience? How can it be inclusive to all learners, their characteristics and their preferences?
A familiar theoretical framework, Community of Inquiry (COI), provides us with a structure of three constructs; social presence, cognitive presence, and instructional presence to guide us in the design, interaction, and evaluation of social learning events in online learning environments. Affirmed by Akyol & Garrison (2011), ‘there is a strong relationship between collaborative constructivism and higher-order learning outcomes. The strength of the community of inquiry framework is its emphasis on collaborative constructivist approaches for designing learning environments in order to provide deep and meaningful learning experiences.” (p.246). How can we design dialogic learning experiences to support deeper learning in online learning environments? What elements should be included in the assessment strategy as we evaluate the design, interactions, and outcomes of the community?
References:
Abawajy, J. (2012). Analysis of asynchronous online discussion forums for collaborative learning. International Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 11-21.
Akyol, Z., & Garrison, D. R. (2011). Understanding cognitive presence in an online and blended community of inquiry: Assessing outcomes and processes for deep approaches to learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 42(2), 233-250.
Burbules, N. C. (1993). Dialogue in teaching: Theory and practice. Teachers College Press.
Ke, F., & Xie, K. (2009). Toward deep learning for adult students in online courses. The Internet and Higher Education, 12(3-4), 136-145.
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