Meeting Challenges in Virtual Learning Environments With the Community of Inquiry Framework

Abstract

Since institutions of higher education moved classes into virtual learning environments (VLE) in early 2020, professors have struggled to recreate their classes for virtual environments while students have struggled with the results of these efforts. This chapter focuses on challenges that rapid creation of online courses has produced, proposing using the community of inquiry (CoI) framework as a model from which to construct courses. From the foundational teaching presence that encompasses course creation and management to social presence that encourages students to invest in the class, the CoI combines these elements in concert with cognitive presence to produce meaning-making among students. After examining criticisms of the CoI framework, the chapter concludes by recommending the CoI framework as a model from which harried professors can create courses that deliver content that encourages students to develop transversal skills of adaptability, digital competencies, collaborative problem solving, and virtual community formation.