The effect of group mode and time in course on frequency of teaching, social, and cognitive presence indicators in a community of inquiry

Projections call for the proportion of students enrolled in blended courses to outpace the proportion of students in totally online courses in a few years. Yet the literature indicates that we know little about how undergraduates and graduate students learn in blended environments. In addition, few theoretical models have been developed specifically for online or blended learning. One such model is Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry framework. The purpose of this study was to investigate how well the Community of Inquiry model explains discussion interactions among teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence over time and in different group modes to produce a worthwhile educational experience. Specifically, an undergraduate/graduate-level inquiry-based course at a large Midwestern university about the philosophical and historical roots of adult education in America was the context of the study. A quantitative content analysis of transcripts from one group ( n = 4) that met via synchronous chats and another group ( n = 5) that met face to face were examined. Statements in the transcripts were transformed to quantitative data for analysis within the framework of a mixed MANOVA design. Results found that group mode had an effect on frequency of social presence and cognitive presence. The face-to-face group generated more than twice the frequency of social presence indicators and nearly three times the frequency of cognitive presence indicators than the online group. There was no difference over time on the frequency of teaching presence, social presence, or cognitive presence for either the online or face-to-face group.