Using a Community of Inquiry Lens to Examine Synchronous Online Discussions in Graduate Courses

Abstract

Instructors use synchronous sessions in higher education online courses to connect with students in real-time discussions. In this qualitative study, researchers examined 12 recordings of synchronous activity in four educational research graduate courses. Students completed a survey with open-ended questions after each synchronous session, and students and instructors were interviewed at the end of the term so that researchers could learn more about how synchronous online discussion cultivated a scholarly community of inquiry. Findings suggest that engagement strategies, such as student-facilitated presentations and case study discussions, fostered social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Findings also suggest that engagement strategies were valuable for promoting interactivity during synchronous sessions. Although synchronous discussions were used as a pedagogical approach and companion to asynchronous course work to support students' learning, unreliable technology presented challenges, possibly limiting the quality of discussions in online environments.