Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare the psychosocial learning environments of fully online courses with blended courses. The goal was to explore the differences between the development of the three presences in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework (social, teaching, and cognitive) in the two delivery formats. The CoI framework consists of teaching, social, and cognitive presence, as well as the confluence of the three. The framework places an emphasis on collaboration and critical thinking. As such, it presents a well-defined model for measuring psychosocial learning environments, particularly in online and blended educational settings (Garrison & Anderson, 2003; Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). While online learning is any form of learning and/or teaching that takes place via computer network, blended learning is a course that combines face-to-face instruction with a significant amount of online instruction. Online learning may take place synchronously or asynchronously, and typically has no face-to-face meetings. The inclusion of online learning in a blended course significantly reduces the time spent in classroom instruction (Bielawski & Metcalf, 2003; Lim, Morris, & Kupritz, 2007; Osguthorpe & Graham, 2003; Thorne, 2003). The development of a positive psychosocial education environment was considered from a quantitative perspective, within the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework. Undergraduate courses offered in the College of Education at a southeastern United States research university were the context of the study. In order to quantitatively consider research specific to the CoI framework, data were gathered via an online anonymous survey using the Community of Inquiry survey instrument. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference in the development of a community of inquiry as a whole, or in the development of teaching presence or cognitive presence with regard to the two delivery formats. Conversely, there was a statistical significance in the development of social presence between the two. The students in the blended courses felt the development of social presence more successfully than the students in the fully online courses. Specifically, the difference in the affective expression subscale within social presence was especially significant between the two delivery methods.
