Figure 1: Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison et al., 2010) Figure 2: Video Instruction Social presence Social presence refers to the ability of students to identify with a community and communicate (or participate) in a trusting environment (Garrison et al., 1999). It is the ability you create for students to “perceive” others online (Shea et al., 2022). Creating a social presence by creating a sense of belonging is vital. I used two approaches to try and create this sense of belonging. Firstly, I ensure students have clear instructions through video (putting a face behind the name). When they enter the online module, they are directed to a landing page (Figure 2) as their first entry point. Students need to know what is expected of them upfront so that they will be able to reach that expectation. Secondly, the first activity the students must do is record an introductory video they submit as an assignment. This allows them to meet their peers. It is vital to facilitate an e-meeting so that we can all meet each other (asynchronistically). Cognitive presence The next consideration in the CoL is cognitive presence. Cognitive presence refers to the extent to which students can construct and confirm their meaning of concepts through reflection (Garrison et al., 1999). This presence is critical in CoL. I agree with Befus (2016) that the CoL framework needs to add the student presence to the online learning environment. For my teaching, I postulate that the student presence and creating a sense of collaboration form part of the cognitive presence. My current student cohort is expert educators themselves. Hence, my students have a voice in my debate. We all have experiences, and we can learn from each other. My students might even know more than me. Hence, I must create a space where they can share their knowledge and experiences. To create a sense of cognitive presence, I provide academic articles and other reading material and ask students to reflect on the concepts in their context and the applicability of the concepts in their teaching approach. I use various online activities available on Moodle to elucidate their reflections and peer and selfassessment to allow them to construct and confirm their understanding of topics. Apart from the above, creating a space where we can collaborate at different times while everyone works on the content at their own pace was not easy. I did, however, use one additional tool that proved very helpful in creating a space where we students can work together – Google Docs. In Google Drive, I give them content and/ or questions, and they need to work on the document together. A significant benefit of using Google Docs is that students can revisit the documents occasionally and add additional thoughts. These documents also assist them with assessment opportunities during the module and course. It is even possible to seamlessly transfer the document from one module to the next. Teaching Innovation for the 21st Century | Showcasing UJ Teaching Innovation Projects 2024 38
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