Teaching strategies to facilitate social and cognitive processes in online learning environments

This study used the Community of Inquiry framework to examine how university instructors designed, facilitated, and supported social and cognitive processes in online courses, and how instructors and students experienced these processes. In early 2021, 25 online focus groups were organized with instructors (n = 52) and students (n = 44) from all faculties of a large Dutch university to discuss this. In terms of design, instructors restructured their courses (e.g. reduced group sizes to intensify interaction and implemented a flipped classroom approach) and communicated more explicitly about the course structure and expectations to better enable students to self-regulate their learning process. During the course, instructors orchestrated cognitive and social processes by facilitating discourse (e.g. breakout room activities and collaboration activities) and offering direct support (e.g. online progress monitoring and “being there” for students). The analysis illustrated how teaching presence plays a crucial role in fostering cognitive and social processes in online courses. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of teaching presence in a community of inquiry, while providing insights that can inform the development of effective online teaching strategies.