The Daily Bulletin Archive

Instructional Resources is now offering a three-course Community of Inquiry (CoI) Specialization Certificate. CoI is a theoretical framework that explains the online learning experience in terms of interactions between three overlapping presences: teaching, social, and cognitive.

Teaching presence is the core role of the online instructor. The three components of teaching presence include instructional design, course facilitation, and direct instruction.

Social presence is the ability of learners to project their personal characteristics into the learning community. In many face-to-face classes, social presence occurs naturally as students engage with one another in a variety of ways. In online courses, opportunities for students to engage in social presence must be purposefully designed into the course.

Designing cognitive presence into online courses provides students with opportunities to construct meaning through sustained communication. These opportunities include exchanging information, connecting and reflecting, and applying newly developed understandings.

The CoI Specialization Certificate will be issued for those who attend the following workshop series. All classes will be held in Bulger Communication Center 120 at noon:

1. Community of Inquiry: Teaching Presence – Monday, November 9
2. Community of Inquiry: Social Presence – Monday, November 16
3. Community of Inquiry: Cognitive Presence – Monday, November 23

Please visit the CyberQuad Workshop Registration System for more information or to register.