Search Results (24)

Generative AI is weaving into the fabric of many human aspects through its transformative power to mimic human-generated content. It is not a mere technology; it functions as a generative virtual assistant, raising concerns about its impact on cognition and critical thinking. This mixed-methods study investigates how GenAI ChatGPT affects critical thinking across cognitive presence (CP) phases. Forty students from a four-year university in the southwestern United States completed a survey; six provided their ChatGPT scripts, and two engaged in semi-structured interviews. Students’ self-reported survey responses suggested that GenAI ChatGPT improved triggering events (M = 3.60), exploration (M = 3.70), and integration (M = 3.60); however, responses remained neutral during the resolution stage. Two modes of interaction were revealed in the analysis of students’ ChatGPT scripts: passive, AI-directed use and collaborative, AI-supported interaction. A resolution gap was identified; nonetheless, the interview results revealed that when GenAI ChatGPT was utilized with guidance, all four stages of cognitive presence were completed, leading to enhanced critical thinking and a reconceptualization of ChatGPT as a more knowledgeable other. This research suggests that the effective use of GenAI in education depends on the quality of human–AI interaction. Future directions must orient toward an integration of GenAI in education that positions human and machine intelligence not as a substitution but as co-participation, opening new epistemic horizons while reconfiguring assessment practices to ensure that human oversight, critical inquiry, and reflective thinking remain at the center of learning. Full article

Teaching physical education (PE) involves adopting contemporary instructional models and teaching methods. Especially at an undergraduate level, the teachers’ participation in professional communities can support their self-efficacy in adopting context-specific instructional models, leading to an improvement in student learning. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of preservice PE teachers’ participation in a professional development (PD) program designed according to the principles of the community of inquiry (CoI) on their self-efficacy in teaching physical education using instructional models. Twenty-three preservice PE teachers (male = 11, female = 12) at the University of Athens, Greece, participated during the 2022–2023 spring semester in a PD program specifically designed according to the CoI principles to support them in the use of PE curriculum models in a secondary school practicum. A pre-post convergent mixed methodology was used, with quantitative (Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale, OSTES) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews) data evaluating the changes in the participants’ self-efficacy in the use of instructional models. Results showed that even though the program was evaluated as effective in terms of supporting the participants’ knowledge and skills on the use of the models, there were no statistically significant changes in their OSTES self-efficacy indices. Given the complexity of PE teaching and the latent structure of the self-efficacy trait, a longer duration of similar PD programs is suggested. Full article

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) has increased in popularity in almost 25 years due to its adaptability which has spanned from asynchronous text-based environments up to a wide range of different settings. The CoI identifies the mutual interaction of three dimensions named presences. The survey to detect the perception of presences is a Likert-scale survey based on 34 items arranged in 10 subscales which are assigned as follows: 4 to teaching presence, 3 to social presence, and 3 to cognitive presence. Several studies identified alternative arrangements of the main components as a result of EFA and CFA. Consequently, the exploration of alternative settings keeps on revealing variations in the way presences interact with each other. The ongoing debate about whether to add a fourth dimension, specifically learning presence, has produced numerous publications but no definitive revised version of the survey. This study suggests an extension of the classical survey by incorporating a supplementary set of 12 items related to learning presence inspired by the theory of heutagogy (or self-determined learning). The sample for the experimental four-dimensional CoI framework comprised 55 university students. The analysis investigated the internal correlations of this extended survey, revealing positive expectations and opportunities for further adaptations. Full article

This study aimed to understand how different dimensions of online learning engagement were influenced by learners’ self-regulated learning (SRL) and their perceptions of teaching, cognitive, and social presence in the community of inquiry (CoI) framework. A structural equation modelling analysis of survey responses from 154 online Chinese-as-a-foreign-language learners showed that the level of learners’ SRL positively influenced their perceptions of teaching, cognitive, and social presence and consistently directly impacted all dimensions of students’ learning engagement. Regarding the different dimensions of engagement, learner’ perceived CoI had different mediating effects. Affective engagement was influenced by learners’ perceptions of cognitive and social presence, while social engagement was influenced by learners’ perceptions of social presence. Cognitive and behavioural engagements were influenced by learners’ perceptions of teaching presence. The results highlight the importance of SRL in the CoI framework for enhancing learning engagement, suggesting integrating SRL training into instructional design in the online learning environment. In addition, the effects of various dimensions of the CoI framework on learning engagement inform pedagogical implications to enhance online learning engagement, such as building an online learning community to strengthen affective and social engagement while strengthening teaching presence to improve cognitive and behavioural engagement. Full article

This study investigated Earth science students’ experiences with online education during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in the US. We used an existing survey from the online education literature, the Online Learning Environment Survey (OLES), which consists of three instruments: (a) community of inquiry (CoI), (b) Institutional Support (IS), and (c) Self-Directed Online Learning Scale (SDOLS). The survey rating subscales ordered from highest to lowest are autonomous learning, asynchronous online learning, institutional support, teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence, respectively, indicating interest for the online learning environment. Among all of the subscales, the asynchronous online category was rated the highest by the students. The data were then analyzed using Rasch modeling. According to the Rasch analyses, asynchronous online teaching represents the most favorable course delivery technique for geoscience education. Overall, the survey data show a general interest in online delivery and the effectiveness of the modality, thus indicating potential for evolving into an online Earth science program. Finally, also discussed are possible future extensions of the research (e.g., extending the research to other introductory online geoscience courses). Full article

In response to the transformative impact of digital technology on education, this study introduces a novel performance management framework for virtual learning environments suitable for the metaverse era. Based on the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach, this paper proposes a comprehensive evaluative model, anchored on the integration of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and the Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI). The model synthesizes five Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)—content delivery, student engagement, metaverse tool utilization, student performance, and adaptability—to intricately assess academic avatar performances in virtual educational settings. This theoretical approach marks a significant stride in understanding and enhancing avatar efficacy in the metaverse environment. It enriches the discourse on performance management in digital education and sets a foundation for future empirical studies. As virtual online environments gain prominence in education and training, this research study establishes the basic principles and highlights the key points for further empirical research in the new era of the metaverse educational environment. Full article

This work presents the process of validation of the community of inquiry (CoI) survey in its Italian version. For over two decades, the CoI framework has been used to conceptualize online higher-order teaching/learning experiences as processes of inquiry in which participants collaborate in discourse and critical reflection to cocreate knowledge and achieve meaningful learning. The CoI is hinged on the mutual interaction of three dimensions named presences: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. The official survey to detect the level of presence perceived by learners has been predominantly conducted in English. In recent years, a number of scholars have deemed that its original format suits at least a B2 level of English proficiency, and several translations in other languages have been validated. Accordingly, the validation of the Italian version aims to improve the accuracy of the CoI questionnaire conducted among native Italian learners (n = 234). Analyses show satisfactory outputs in terms of validity and reliability of the 34 Likert-scale items, whilst adaptations to other languages open new perspectives grounded on cultural variables. Full article

Graded online discussion forums allow students to interact with course content, peers, and instructors. These discussions have the potential to enhance students’ learning experiences significantly. By adding graded online discussions to an online structured Master’s program in Education, it was necessary to determine the value of these discussions and their contribution to creating an online community. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine how a community of inquiry could support graded online discussions. The study used the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework as its basis. A qualitative exploratory case study design was used, involving eleven purposefully selected participants who were enrolled for a structured master’s program in Education. Data were collected from two sources: feedback from students on their experiences of the online discussions, and the actual online discussions. The data were analyzed using the six-phase thematic analysis approach following a deductive approach. This study revealed that these discussions supported students’ learning and created an online learning community promoting social, cognitive, and teaching presences. These findings have implications for practice. Firstly, fostering social presence is essential for online discussions because it leads to increased engagement, motivation, a sense of belonging, and collaboration. Secondly, online discussions need to be designed with clear guidelines, structured questions, and discussion opportunities. Lastly, online discussions designed to promote cognitive presence challenge students, encourage debate, and assist them in gaining the needed knowledge and higher order thinking skills. Based on these findings, the unique contribution of this study is to provide guidelines for fostering discussion forum participation within the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework. The suggested guidelines can serve as a resource to facilitate effective graded discussion forums in higher education contexts. Full article

Research has shown that creating an online learning community is vital in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) training programs and can be facilitated via the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. For professional learners, an online learning community is influenced by their organizational affiliations. The purpose of this research is to explore learning experiences in groups of professional learners with different and homogenous organizational affiliations in an asynchronous online MBSE module. Through the case study methodology, this research examines four sources of data from two cases: Case 1—learners from different organizations (n = 7); and Case 2—overwhelming majority of learners from the same organization (n = 19). Results showed that learners from the same organization reported higher social presence, which, in turn, corresponded to a higher cognitive presence and higher motivation for future MBSE learning. Based on our findings, we recommend that organizations seeking MBSE adoption coordinate with online course providers to create cohorts to participate in the same offerings to facilitate the process of learning community building. We also recommend MBSE course providers facilitate social interaction on multiple communication platforms and create orientation activities for learners from different organizations to promote social presence. Full article

The digital educational environment is not new in the modern world, but in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to online learning has become necessary and fast. This offered the possibility to study various characteristics of objects and subjects in the digital educational environment. During the pandemic, universities worldwide were forced to switch to online learning, creating a global educational experiment with results to be comprehended and theoretically reflected upon. The significance of this scientific reflection is important for understanding the characteristics and factors that influence student satisfaction with online learning, as well as for anticipating possible ways to improve its effectiveness. This research aimed to study the characteristics of satisfaction with online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in connection with the elements of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) online learning model. The study involved 808 students (M = 22.5, SD = 2.4 (53.3% men)) from 6 countries (Serbia—30.8%, Bosnia and Herzegovina—8.5%, Croatia—8.9%, Romania—21.8%, Russia—25.2%, Slovenija—4.7%). A total of 808 students responded to a questionnaire measuring the levels of cognitive, social, and teaching presence in distance learning. Satisfaction with online learning has been shown to positively correlate with cognitive, social and teaching presence, and overall CoI presence. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that satisfaction with online learning does not differ among students with different levels of academic performance; however, the subjective assessment of the element of social presence “Tools and platforms for online learning allow students to work with each other” is significantly higher among students with low academic performance. Satisfaction with online learning and the elements of the CoI model is different in study groups with varying degrees of online learning presence, as well as different in students whose training included different elements of online learning. The conclusions obtained in this study will make it possible to organize the digital educational environment more effectively by managing the elements of the CoI model. Full article

The interaction between teachers and students is critical to the learning process. Student success and learner satisfaction have consistently improved in educational situations where instructors and students connect frequently and meaningfully. The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as well as the sense of belonging concept, have received a significant amount of attention from researchers investigating online learning since its debut. The current study focuses on the CoI framework in general, and in particular on studies on teaching, social, and cognitive presences in connection to students’ feeling of belonging and grit enhancement. This research investigated the opinion of 310 students at the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad regarding their satisfaction with their teachers’ presences, their academic sense of belonging, and their grit. Our methodology followed an innovative approach. First, we employed a network analysis on all subscales’ mean scores, and then we performed a sequential mediation analysis based on both the network analysis results and the conclusions from the literature review. We tested whether students’ perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support sequentially mediated the relationship between teacher’s cognitive presence and students’ grit. According to the scientific literature, teacher’s cognitive presence consists of four fundamental categories: triggering events, exploration, integration, and resolution, which specifically the validation of knowledge by cooperation and reflection in a community of inquiry. We further tested if sense of belonging might mediate the relationship between teachers’ cognitive presence and students’ grit. The results show that students’ perceived classroom comfort and perceived faculty support partially and significantly sequentially mediate the relationship between teachers’ cognitive presence triggering events and students’ grit. The results are then further used to suggest possible recommendations for designing holistic learning environments in Romanian higher education institutions. Full article

Philosophy for children (P4C) has been implemented worldwide. P4C has been researched empirically in order to evaluate its effectiveness and address the current lack of a systemic literature review of research on P4C. Therefore, this SLR study aims to identify how P4C positively affects aspects other than students’ thinking and the challenges that teachers and students face in implementing the program. The methodology and writing method used was PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis). Articles and materials related to the topic were located primarily using two databases, Web of Science and Scopus. Using thematic analysis, this SLR derived five main themes, namely (1) higher-order thinking skills (HOTS), (2) safe environments, (3) civilized students, (4) democracy in discussion, and (5) the culture of thinking in the classroom. There are also challenges faced by teachers and students. Full article

With higher education moving more towards online education and wider adoption of more flexible models of teaching, especially during and after COVID-19, faculty members at a small private university in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia made their first attempts at flipping. Given the lack of studies that examined the transitional period that instructors go through in their initial attempts to flip, this study explored the perceptions of instructors making the transition, where traditional teacher-centered approaches to teaching have prevailed. Their insights can be detrimental to its successful delivery and continued use. To achieve its objective, this research paper investigated the initial perceptions of the requirements of flipping from thirty-seven female faculty members across six different colleges. This study employed a qualitative synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data elicited from interviews, surveys, and self-reflection reports, concluding that instructors transitioning into flipping cannot rely solely on their intuitive beliefs but need extensive training and guidance. The findings will inform instructors and institutions making the transition and will guide educators preparing for flipped classroom training workshops. Full article

The research community still faces challenges with respect to understanding and promoting mathematics teachers’ knowledge related to integrating technology into their instruction. This study’s goals are: (1) to examine the relations between the various components of pedagogical technology knowledge (PTK), (2) to examine whether teachers’ PTK differed significantly after their participation in a professional development (PD) program designed to enhance Community of Inquiry (CoI) practices, and (3) to examine the effect of teachers’ personal characteristics on PTK components and on their development. This study involved 42 middle school mathematics teachers. The data, collected using Thomas and Palmer’s PTK questionnaire, underwent a statistical analysis. Through the quantitative analysis, scores for each PTK component were computed and appropriate statistical tests were run. The results indicate that, aside from knowledge of mathematical content, all the components of PTK and PTK itself demonstrate strong correlations. In addition, the results showed that teachers’ PTK components differed significantly after they participated in a CoI PD program, except for the knowledge of mathematical content component. The background variables had significant effects on some PTK components’ scores and on their development among the participants. Full article

Teaching and learning online is quite challenging. Both require an additional capacity and effort to withstand ongoing engagement in a virtual learning environment. Nonetheless, there have been cases of dissatisfaction with virtual learning environments due to the lack of engagement and poor interaction between the instructor, students, and content, which may affect how students learn online. This study presents a cross-sectional survey that was designed to re-examine the theoretical model of the Community of Inquiry (CoI), and to examine the structure of course satisfaction using SmartPLS 3.3.8 for multivariate statistical analysis. The CoI and the course satisfaction instruments were adapted in this study. The reflections of the CoI are then assumed to form type II second-order constructs to determine their effect on student satisfaction with the course. The findings revealed that teaching, social, and cognitive presence in the CoI have a significant influence on students’ satisfaction with the courses that they are enrolled in. These results provide a direction for further research on the CoI in online learning by extending a framework that incorporates online learners as one of the essential stakeholders in education. Therefore, the results presented here are only applicable to certain courses, and it would be meaningful to investigate academic achievement and motivation, and to compare them between specific courses or subjects to find out which courses have lower or higher levels of presence. Full article