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Enhancing Equitable and Sustained Futures in Higher Education:

Building a Community of Inquiry for Student Collaboration in a High Enrollment Academic Module

Dr. Kershnee Sevnarayan

University of South Africa

Pretoria, South Africa

Dr. Norm Vaughan

Mount Royal University

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

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Overview

Objective
Context
Theoretical frameworks
Methods
Data sources
Findings
Discussion

�

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Study Objective

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Objective

The focus of this study is on how the Community of Inquiry (Garrison, 2017) framework can be applied to a high enrollment module at the University of South Africa to provide a meaningful and collaborative learning experience for all students.

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Study Context

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University of South Africa

The University of South Africa (Unisa), �the only higher education institution to �carry the name of the country, and is the �people's university in every sense of the word. �
Unisa's roots (and indeed that of higher education in South Africa) date back to 1873 when the University of the Cape of Good Hope was founded, initially functioning as an examining body for higher education�.
In 1916, the university changed its name to the University of South Africa and in 1918 it relocated to Pretoria�
In 1946, it became one of the first public universities in the world to teach exclusively by means of distance education.�
Today, the university has more than 370 000 students and is the largest university in South Africa and on the African continent, and one of the world's mega-universities.

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ENGL2612: Applied English Module

Designed particularly for Education students who will use English as the medium of instruction for Foundation and Intermediate Phase learners.�
The ultimate aim of this module is to enhance students’ proficiency in English in order to teach effectively and with confidence.�
Year long module�
1200 students enrolled�
The teaching team consists of four faculty members and one administrative officer

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Theoretical Frameworks

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The 3 R’s of Student Engagement

Relevance�(Connections and Curiosity)�
Relationships�(Community and Collaboration)�
Rigour�(Challenge and Creativity)

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Social Presence

The ability of participants

to identify with the

community (e.g., course

of study), communicate

purposefully in a trusting

environment, and

develop inter-personal

relationships by way of

projecting their

individual personalities.

Community of Inquiry Framework

Cognitive Presence

The extent to which

learners are able to

construct and confirm

meaning through

sustained reflection

and discourse in a

critical community

of inquiry.

Teaching Presence

The design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes. (Randy Garrison, Terry Anderson & Walter Archer, 200 1 )

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Categories of Teach ING Presence

Categories	Design & Organization: (Relevance) Setting curriculum & methods	Facilitating Discourse: (Relationships) Shaping constructive exchange	Direct Instruction: (Rigour) Focusing and resolving issues
Indicators	Setting the curriculum Designing methods Establishing time parameters Utilizing medium effectively Establishing netiquette	Setting climate for learning Drawing in participants, prompting discussion Encouraging, acknowledging, or reinforcing student contributions Identifying areas of agreement/disagreement Seeking to reach consensus/understanding Assess the efficacy of the process	Present content/questions Focus the discussion on certain issues Confirm understanding through assessment and explanatory feedback Diagnose misconceptions Inject knowledge from diverse sources e.g., textbook, articles, internet, personal experiences (includes pointers to resources)

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CoI: Seven Principles

Design for open communication & trust �that will create a learning community
Design for critical reflection & discourse �that will support inquiry�
Establish cohesion and community
Establish inquiry dynamics �(purposeful inquiry)�
Sustain respect and responsibility for collaboration
Sustain inquiry that moves to resolution and shared metacognitive development�
Ensure assessment is aligned with intended learning outcomes

Vaughan, Dell, Cleveland-Innes, & Garrison, 2023

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Methods

Self-study Approach

Our work is self-initiated �(Hauge, 2021; LaBoskey, 2004) �
We reflected on our personal and professional practice through ongoing and open dialogue (Samaras & Freese, 2009).�
We worked as a pair of critical friends (Dinkelman, 2003; LaBoskey, 2004), virtually meeting on a regular basis to discuss the relationship between the CoI and collaborative approaches to learning in the practices in ENGL2612: Applied English Module

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Data Sources

Critical dialogue, notes, and reflections �from our virtual meetings �(Guilfoyle, Hamilton, Pinnegar & Placier, 2004)�
Conversations with members of the faculty team and students in the ENGL2612 module (Fletcher, Ní Chróinín & O’Sullivan, 2016). �
Ongoing review and analysis of the data focused on exemplar-based validations, providing “concrete examples of actual practices, fully elaborated so that members of a relevant research community can judge for themselves their “trustworthiness” and the validity of observations, interpretations” (Lyons & LaBoskey, 2002, p. 20).

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Findings

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Design & Organization

In terms of student engagement, Littky and Grabelle (2004) emphasize the importance of establishing relevance at the beginning of a course (1st R of engagement). �
They indicate that students should have a sense of curiosity and connectedness with the learning outcomes for the course.

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Design & Organization

Module Layout

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Design & Organization

Personal Introductions

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Design & Organization

Personal Expectations - Goal Setting

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Design & Organization

TikTok Videos - Personal Motivation

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Design & Organization

Importance of designing and scaffolding learning activities that support the development of collaboration�
It does not happen overnight - repetition is important�
The power of storytelling is that �each time we hear the story, we �learn something new�Leroy Little Bear

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Facilitation

The second R of engagement that Littky and Grabelle (2004 ) advocate for is relationships.�
Creating a sense of community and collaboration are key for helping students develop their capacity for shared metacognition and their professional identities.

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Facilitation

Communication Channels��

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Facilitation

Podcasts��

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Facilitation

Importance of the teacher modelling ‘professional practice’ - engaging in challenging and difficult conversations�
More than a “guide on the side and sage on the stage”

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Direction

Littky and Grabelle’s (2004) third R of engagement is rigour. �
In order to prepare for professional practice, this involves students completing real world tasks, challenging problems, tasks and assignment that force them to confront different perspectives and create new ways of thinking.

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Direction

Assignment Support��

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Direction

Assignment Peer Support��

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Direction

Assignment Peer Support��

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Direction

Assignment Peer Support��

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Direction

Assignment Ethics��

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Direction

Learning leader - captain moving the ship forward �
Nudge factor - nudging the students to challenge themselves and their learning�
Learning space vs social space

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Discussion

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Main Challenge

Time, effort, and thought required to design, facilitate, and direct/assess collaborative learning activities for a LARGE number of students (+1000)

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Generativism

Generativism (n.) describes the symbiotic approach to teaching and learning with generative AI (GenAI). �
It is grounded in the principle of learning as a process, and employs constructivist and collaborative approaches to teaching.�
Co-design with GenAI is the defining feature of generativism as a practice, whereby knowledge is generated in collaboration with GenAI, through learning activities that are co-designed with, facilitated by, and assessed with GenAI.

Dr. Mairéad Pratschke

Professor and Chair in Digital Education

University of Manchester

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Generativisim + CoI

Social Presence becomes Collaborator AI: students engage and work with other actors, as well as the instructor and peers.

Cognitive Presence becomes Analytical AI: agents provide perspectives on a given topic and function as a companion, opponent and/or coach.

Teaching Presence becomes Facilitator AI: tutors function as guides on the side that accompany and support the student throughout the course.

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Generativisim + CoI

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Questions?

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Contact Information

�

Dr. Kershnee Sevnarayan

esevark@unisa.ac.za

Dr. Norm Vaughan

nvaughan@mtroyal.ca

�

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References

Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, D. R., Archer, W. (2001). Assessing Teaching presence in a Computer Conference Environment. Journal of asynchronous learning networks, 5(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v5i2.1875

Big Picture Learning. (2020). Student-Centered Learning Design: O-A-R-I-A. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_7R3j9Ims9moQZLPatHIFTYYKbRyowEY0Vmet-6yyms/edit#heading=h.ulm6wwlyy44b

Dinkelman, T. (2003). Self-study in teacher education: A means and ends tool for promoting reflective teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 54(1), 6-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487102238654

Fletcher, T., Nί Chrόinίn, D., & O’Sullivan, M. (2016). Multiple layers of interactivity in

self-study of practice research: An empirically-based exploration of methodological issues. In D. Garbett, & A. Ovens, (Eds.), Enacting self-study as methodology for professional inquiry, (pp. 19-25). Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices.

Garrison, D. R. (2017). E-learning in the 21st century: A Community of Inquiry framework for research and practice (3rd ed.). Routledge, Taylor & Francis.

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References

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence,

and computer conferencing in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 15, 7–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08923640109527071

Guilfoyle, K., Hamilton, M. L., Pinnegar, S., & Placier, P. (2004). The epistemological

dimensions and dynamics of professional dialogue in self-study. In J.J. Loughran, M.L.

Hamilton, V.K. LaBoskey, & T.L. Russell (Eds.) International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (pp. 1109-1167). Springer.

Hauge, K. (2021). Self-study research: Challenges and opportunities in teacher education. In M. J. Hernandez-Serrano (Ed.) Teacher Education in the 21st Century - Emerging Skills for a Changing World (pp. 139-156). IntechOpen.https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96252

LaBoskey, V. K. (2004). The methodology of self-study and its theoretical

underpinnings. In J. J. Loughran, M. L. Hamilton, V. K. LaBoskey, & T. Russell

(Eds), International handbook of self-study of teaching and teacher education practices (pp. 817-869). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6545-3_21

Littky, D. & Grabelle, S. (2004). The big picture: Education is everyone's business.

Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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References

Little Bear, L.(2012). Traditional knowledge and humanities: A perspective by a Blackfoot. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 39 (4), 518–527. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6253.2012.01742.x.

Lyons, N., & LaBoskey, V. K. (2002). Why narrative inquiry or exemplars for a

scholarship of teaching? In N. Lyons & V. K. LaBoskey (Eds.), Narrative inquiry in practice: Advancing the knowledge of teaching (pp. 11–27). Teachers College Press.

Pratschke, M. B. (Sept 21, 2023). Generativism: the new hybrid. Computers and Society.. https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.12468

Samaras, A. P. & Freese, A. R. (2009). Looking back and looking forward: A historical

overview of the self-study school. In C. A. Lassonde, S. Galman, & C. Kosnik (Eds). Self-Study Research Methodologies for Teacher Educators, (pp.3-19). Sense Publishers.

Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press

Vaughan, N.D., Dell, D., Garrison, D.R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2023). Principles of blended

learning: Shared metacognition and communities of inquiry. Athabasca University

Press. https://www.aupress.ca/books/120324-principles-of-blended-learning/

Wallach, C. A., Ramsey, B. S., Lowry, L. K., & Copland, M. (2006). Student voice: Tapping the potential of relationships, relevance, and rigor. Small Schools Project, 1–49. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED505506