Analytics of communities of inquiry: Effects of learning technology use on cognitive presence in asynchronous online discussions

Publication date: Available online 20 June 2015 Source:The Internet and Higher Education Author(s): Vitomir Kovanović , Dragan Gašević , Srećko Joksimović , Marek Hatala , Olusola Adesope This paper describes a study that looked at the effects of different technology-use profiles on educational experience within communities of inquiry, and how they are related to the students’ levels of cognitive presence in asynchronous online discussions. Through clustering of students (N=81) in a graduate distance education engineering course, we identified six different profiles: 1) Task-focused users, 2) content-focused no users, 3) no users, 4) highly intensive users, 5) content-focused intensive users, and 6) Socially-focused intensive users. Identified profiles significantly differ in terms of their use of learning platform and their levels of cognitive presence, with large effect sizes of 0.54 and 0.19 multivariate η 2, respectively. Given that several profiles are associated with higher levels of cognitive presence, our results suggest multiple ways for students to be successful within communities of inquiry. Our results also emphasize a need for a different instructional support and pedagogical interventions for different technology-use profiles.

Source: The Internet and Higher Education - June 20, 2015 Category: Information Technology Source Type: research