The next schema is called the Community of Inquiry Model. On this page we've provided multiple means of access for you: you can learn about the Community of Inquiry Model by listening to an audio clip below, or scrolling further down to read the text.

The Community of Inquiry Model is comprised of three overlapping circles representing social presence, (engagement with participants, risk-free expression and encouraging collaboration) cognitive presence, (exchanging information, applying new ideas, connecting ideas) and teaching presence (setting curriculum, sharing personal meaning, focusing discussion).

Community of Inquiry Model

Another approach to thinking about learning, particularly online learning, is called the Community of Inquiry Model. This concept has been developed in education over many years and by many theorists, most recently Garrison, Anderson and Archer who developed a model specifically for online learning (although it holds equally true for face to face learning!). It posits that a learning experience is made up of more than just a knowledge transfer between teachers and students. Instead, learning happens through the complex interactions between teaching (the design of learning experiences), social presence and peer discourse, and cognitive presence, or the ways that students are able to make sense and meaning from what they learn. In this model, the instructors job is not just to select or communicate content, but also to facilitate discourse, and create a climate where peers can help each other learn.

In practical terms, instructors can use this model to help them think about their roles, particularly in online learning settings. This can mean planning for different kinds of interactions: student-content (readings, quizzes, reflection papers, simulations, labs, etc.), student-student (discussions, group work, peer review, etc.), and student-instructor (feedback, lecture, conferences, etc.).

As you think about your week, think about which kinds of interactions will help your students make sense of that week's material!

Learn more about the Community of Inquiry Model.