The Community of Inquiry Framework, Blended Learning, and the i2Flex Classroom Model

The Community Of Inquiry Framework

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000; 2001) is a social-constructivist representation of the processes that support the development of a community and learning in online and blended classes and programs. The CoI framework has been widely used to inform research and practice in online learning, and an increasing body of research supports its efficacy for describing and informing online learning (Arbaugh, Cleveland-Innes, Diaz, Garrison, Ice, Richardson, & Swan, 2008; Swan, Garrison, & Richardson, 2009).

Figure 1.

The community of inquiry framework

(Adapted from Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001)

Building from the notion of social presence in online discussion (Gunawardena, 1995), the CoI framework represents the online learning experience as a function of the relationship between three presences: social, cognitive, and teaching. The concept of “presence” here is in some sense functional and purposively applied to indicate that the presences are not attached to actors but can be assumed by any of the participants or even the materials in an online or blended course. The CoI framework suggests that online learning is located at the intersection of these three presences; that is, all three presences are necessary for learning in an educational context to take place (Figure 1).

In the three sections which follow, the role of each of the presences in the CoI framework is described, relevant research findings summarized, and the practical implications of the latter explored.