Kelley A. Conrad
FTAF,
University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies
Mary Weber
Faculty,
University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies

We have been exploring the Garrison, Anderson, &
Archer (2000) Community of Inquiry Model of educational experience as it applies to distance learning and specifically Social Networking.
The CoI model explores the combinations of
Social Presence
Cognitive Presence
Teaching Presence
In the formation of optimal educational experiences.

CoI Model for Education
Social Presence
Ability of participants to identify with the community, communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop interpersonal relationships by projecting individual personalities.
Cognitive Presence
Extend to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse.
Teaching Presence
Design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning experiences.
(Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000)

Community of Inquiry Model
Reprinted with permission of D. R. Garrison

Student Ratings Importance of CoI Dimensions
(Diaz, Swan, Ice, & Kupczynski, 2010)

Growing Social Media Use 2006-1012
55%

Student Use of Facebook
Percentage Reasons why Students use Facebook ®
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
(Pempek,
Yermolayeva, &
Calvert, 2009)

Twitter is Noticeably Less Popular

Our Research Question
Given the recent major increase of Social
Networking in all population groups and the little research on its use and effects in the distance education classroom,
We expected the major influences would be in the overlap areas of the CoI model.

Value of “overlaps” in the CoI Model
Supporting Discourse
Scardamalia & Bereiter (1991)
CSILE
Regulating Learning
Brown & Campione (1990)
Brown (1994) Jigsaw
Setting Climate
Neuman Systems Model

Community of Inquiry Model Research
For Understanding Distance Learning
Dewey (1938) Practical Inquiry and community and
Inquiry
Henri (1991)
Newman, Johnson, Cochrane, and Webb (1996)
Newman, Webb, and Cochrane (1997)
Gunawardena (1995)
Hiltz and Turoff (1993)
Chafe and Danielewicz, (1987)
Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000)
Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2010)

Generation Y Motives to Join Facebook ®
(Gangadharbatla, 2009)

Popular Social Networking Activities

Some things we expected we might find

Principles from
DL Communities of Practice
Students need to be actively engaged, not passive
Students must see problems as worth the investment of their time
Teacher’s role is to be a facilitator of learning more so than content expert
Students need the opportunity for reflection
Problems should be ill-structured to invite student solutions
Support the students rather than simplify the problems
Work is collaborative and social – Meaning is negotiated in the social environment
The learning context is motivating
(Barab & Duffy, 2000)

Principles of Design for Effective DL CoI - 1
Community-Growth Principle
Emergent-Goals Principle
Articulation-of-Goals Principle
Metacognitive Principle
Beyond-the-Bounds Principle
Respect-for-Others Principle
Failure-Safe Principle
(Bielaczyc & Collins, 1999)

Principles of Design for Effective DL CoI - 2
Structural-Dependence Principle
Depth-over-Breadth Principle
Diverse-Expertise Principle
Multiple-Ways-to-Participate Principle
Sharing Principle
Negotiation Principle
Quality-of-Products Principle
(Bielaczyc & Collins, 1999)

CoP Participatory Method
Integration of the Specific Community of Practice
Individual Consultation
Exchange
Grouping
Synthesis
Dialectic
Interations
Presentation of Results (Velazquez-Guzman & Laura-Rosano, 2012)

BE VOCAL – Successful Online Instructors
Visible
Social Presence reduces student anxieties
Organized
“Bullet proof” assignments and instructions
Compassionate
Give students permission to communicate directly with you
Analytical
Manage the learning environment
Leader-by-Example
Model best practices and being professional
(Savery, 2010)

Our Sample and Process
A convenience sample of 11 experienced online distance educators representing at least 6 different institutions.
Average online teaching experience was 8 years.
Interviewed past data saturation.
Most instructors (7) did not use SN in class.
Of the 4 who did, 1 made very limited use of SN.
Used semi-structured interviews of 14 questions taking
20-30 minutes.

SN Positives
Instructors using SN in classes keep it clearly defined and closely related to course work.
When integrated in classes, SN helped students:
Identify with the community as a course of study.
Increased their comfort with the classroom.
Sometimes increased their satisfaction with a class.
Sometimes contributed to communications in class.

SN Negatives
Most SN occurs outside of class.
Even when Instructors carefully use SN in classes:
It can be a distraction (sometimes a major one).
It can counter the other instructional design and facilitation.
It can disrupt the effort to create educationally worthwhile learning outcomes

Our Conclusion:
SN not Ready for Prime Time in DL
Few Instructors (27%) currently use SN in their classes.
Instructors and students valued the promise of SN for:
Clarification, information, and quick contact with the student.
Most instructors (91%) were skeptical about using SN more generally in classes fearing it would not support learning outcomes.

Meaningful Guidance
We found Sull’s (2010) Secrets of Successful Distance
Learning Instructors a concise summary of many elements identified by our interviewees as reflecting the ways they evaluated the value of SN in their classes.
Even though not all of Sull’s secrets are directly applicable to SN, they are worth briefly reviewing.

Secrets of Successful DL Instructors - 1
Be Consistent, Timely, and Upbeat presence in the class
.
Gather Websites – Both you and the Students
Use Puzzles, games, and Fun Problems to cement the subject
Take a Deep-Plunge into Audio-Visual
Be sure Students Use your Distance-Learning Tutor
Fully Introduce Students to the DL Library
(Sull, 2010)

Secrets of Successful DL Instructors - 2
Create a Thorough Template Bank
Take a “Reality-Based” Educational Approach
Never only do Minimum Requirements
Provide Detailed Feedback on Student Assignments
Be Proactive Anticipating Problems and Concerns
Stay Organized and Wisely Manage Your Time
(Sull, 2010)

Summary of
Social Media and Community of Interests
In Distance Learning
Pros
Educational tool to be leveraged
Enhances student engagement
Improves communications among students and teachers
Helps prepare students for employment
Cons
Social Media can be a distraction
Cyberbullying occurs
Discourages face-to-face communications

Invitation
We invite your comments and discussion.

Contact Information
Kelley A. Conrad , 402 Genesee Street, Apt. 201, Delafield,
WI 53018 Phone: 262-443-3662
Mary J. Weber , 3512 Highland Center, Green Bay, WI
54311 Phone: 920-609-1039