This paper applies the Community of Inquiry (CoI)  framework previously used in asynchronous discussion forums to synchronous chats in a mathematically-based

undergraduate course. While the three presences described in the CoI framework - cognitive, social and teaching presence - are still identified, it is argued that categories and indicators tailored for coding asynchronous discussion may need adjustment when applied

to this new context. Preliminary results based on the transcript analysis of one chat log and using two coders are presented in this paper

Loch, Birgit

McDonald, Christine

English

University of Southern Queensland ePrints

Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008: Poster: McDonald & Loch 603Adjusting the community of inquiry approach to asynchronous mathematical contextChristine McDonald and Birgit LochDepartment of Mathematics and ComputingUniversity of Southern QueenslandThis paper applies the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework previously used inasynchronous discussion forums to synchronous chats in a mathematically-basedundergraduate course. While the three presences described in the CoI framework -cognitive, social and teaching presence - are still identified, it is argued that categories andindicators tailored for coding asynchronous discussion may need adjustment when appliedto this new context. Preliminary results based on the transcript analysis of one chat log andusing two coders are presented in this paper.Keywords: synchronous chat, undergraduate, mathematics, community of inquiryIntroductionIn an e-learning context mathematics students tend to panic and give up quickly, because there isgenerally too much time between contacts in an asynchronous online environment (Smith & Ferguson,2005). Immediate feedback from an instructor or peer can alleviate this, give confidence and keepstudents engaged with the content. Realising the need for a new pedagogical approach to teachingmathematics at a distance, the authors trialled weekly MSN Messenger tutorials utilising electronichandwriting for two undergraduate introductory mathematics/statistics courses over a one semesterperiod. Student and instructor perceptions of these tutorials have previously been reported (Loch &McDonald, 2007). Chat logs from this trial are now evaluated using transcript analysis. In thispreliminary study, one chat log is used to develop CoI categories and indicators specific to this context,while another chat log is used to test the framework.Community of inquiryThe Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000) provides a framework fordescribing the learning that takes place in online asynchronous discussion forums by considering threecore elements: cognitive presence, social presence and teaching presence (see Figure 1).Figure 1: Community of inquiry framework (Garrison et al., 2000)Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008: Poster: McDonald & Loch 604Cognitive presence is characterised by “exploration, construction, resolution and confirmation ofunderstanding” (Garrison, 2007, p. 65) through practical inquiry. Social presence requires the participantsto establish personal and purposeful relationships to foster effective communication (Garrison, 2007). Inorder to keep interactions focused in a specific direction, teaching presence is seen as essential inbalancing cognitive and social issues (Garrison et al., 2000). Teaching presence includes instructionaldesign and organisation, facilitating discourse and direct instruction (Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007). Withinthis CoI framework, the challenge is to recognise and assess indications of meaningful collaborativelearning in the transcripts of computer mediated discussion forums (Garrison et al., 2000). In a review ofthe CoI framework, Garrison and Arbaugh (2007) suggest that to test its generalisability to fields beyondthe education discipline, the CoI framework needs to be further applied to online learning in otherdisciplines than the limited few that have been reported. While this framework was developed forasynchronous discussion forums, it can also be applied to synchronous chat sessions.Transcript analysisTranscript analysis informed by the CoI framework is a powerful method that can be used to understandtext-based educational conferencing and discourse (Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, Koole & Kappelman,2006). De Wever et al. (2006) identify two important issues that need to be addressed: the unit of analysisand inter-rater reliability. They conclude that the unit of analysis which can range from an individualsentence to a complete message is dependent on the context. For the synchronous chat the obvious unit ofanalysis is a single message, as it is easily defined without ambiguity. The simplest and most popular wayof measuring inter-rater reliability is the percent agreement. Alternatively, Garrison et al. (2006) suggest anegotiated approach to coding transcripts. After independently coding transcripts, the coders discuss theircodes and work towards a consensus. This negotiated approach is particularly useful in exploratoryresearch where the main focus is on gaining a deeper understanding of the learning taking place.Preliminary analysis and discussionTranscript analysis was applied to a chat log from early in the semester to gain insight into the types ofinteraction taking place. Through discussion between the authors, an understanding of the categories andindicators described in Garrison et al. (2006) was developed. Taking into consideration the synchronicityand mathematical context, categories were modified accordingly and indicators elaborated to fit the newpurpose. Table 1 shows a complete list of categories and indicators identified.Table 1: Community of inquiry coding scheme adjusted for synchronous mathematical chatElements Categories IndicatorsCognitive presence Triggering event New topicExploration Confirming no understanding, Confirmingunderstanding, Student repeats, Student proposes (lowlevel), Not commenced work, Question on topicIntegration Connecting ideasResolution Apply new ideasSocial presence Affective Apology, Thank you, EmotionsGroup cohesion Social, greeting, Encouragement, Building communityOrganisation Technical (student), Class management (student), Timeout (student)AcknowledgereceiptNoddingTeaching presence Design andorganisationTime out, Technical, Course management, ClassmanagementFacilitatingdiscourseClarification, Focused question, Giving task, Confirmingunderstanding, Steering in directionDirect instruction Explanation of content, additional explanation/definitionA log from a different week was selected to test the transcript analysis categories that had beendeveloped. This time the authors coded the chat log independently and then met to negotiate a consensusof the coding. Using simple percentage agreement, inter-rater reliability was 79%. After negotiation, itrose to 99%. Extracts from the chat log with accompanying negotiated code for presence, category andindicator (see Table 2) illustrate the more conversational style of synchronous chat which necessitates anadjustment of the original CoI coding scheme.Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008: Poster: McDonald & Loch 605Table 2: Examples of coded chat logsChat message Presence –CategoryIndicator Chat message Presence –CategoryIndicatorSam says:  Christine writes:hang on, bysquaring thebit in thebrackets, youeliminate anynegativesunder thesquare rootCognitive -IntegrationConnectingideasTeaching -DirectinstructionExplanationChristine says:   Christine says:  yes Sam!! Teaching -FacilitatingdiscourseConfirmunderstandingbut what wouldyou get thenTeaching -FacilitatingdiscourseFocusedquestionJack says:   Sam says:  OK it is thedistand not thedirectionCognitive -ExplorationConfirmunderstandingnegatives Cognitive -ExplorationProposeChristine says:   Jack says:  why do we dothatTeaching -FacilitatingdiscourseFocusedquestionzero Cognitive -ExplorationProposeChristine says:   Christine says:  yes Jack Teaching -FacilitatingdiscourseConfirmunderstandingsome negativesand somepositivesTeaching -DirectinstructionExplanationCarla says:   Christine says:  hard one tograspSocial -AffectiveEmotion yes Jack zero Teaching -FacilitatingdiscourseConfirmunderstandingConclusions and future directionsThe results from this preliminary study demonstrate that with some adjustment the Community of Inquiryframework can be applied to synchronous chat in a mathematical context. Future work will includeanalysis of all logs for a semester to identify any change in the balance amongst the presences over time.ReferencesDe Wever, B., Schellens, T., Valcke, M., & Van Keer, H. (2006). Content analysis schemes to analyzetranscripts of online asynchronous discussion groups: A review. Computers & Education, 46(1), 6-28.Garrison, D. R. (2007). Online community of inquiry review: Social, cognitive, and teaching presenceissues. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 1(1), 61-72.Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment:Computer conferencing in higher education. Internet and Higher Education, 11(2), 1-14.Garrison, D. R., & Arbaugh, J. B. (2007). Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review,issues, and future directions. The Internet and Higher Education, 10(3), 157-172.Garrison, D. R., Cleveland-Innes, M., Koole, M., & Kappelman, J. (2006). Revisiting methodologicalissues in transcript analysis: Negotiated coding and reliability. The Internet and Higher Education,9(1), 1-8.Loch, B., & McDonald, C. (2007). Synchronous chat and electronic ink for distance support inmathematics. Innovate - Journal of Online Education, 3(3).Smith, G. G. & Ferguson, D. (2005). Student attrition in mathematics e-learning. Australasian Journal ofEducational Technology, 22(3), 323-334. http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet21/smith.htmlProceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008: Poster: McDonald & Loch 606Contact author: Christine McDonald, University of Southern Queensland.Email: mcdonald@usq.edu.auPlease cite as: McDonald, C.& Loch, B. (2008). Adjusting the community of inquiry approach to asynchronous mathematical context. In Hello! Where are you in the landscape of educationaltechnology? Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008.http://www.ascililte.org.au/conferences/melbourne08/procs/mcdonald-poster.pdfCopyright 2008 Christine McDonald and Birgit LochThe authors assign to ascilite and educational non-profit institutions a non-exclusive licence to use thisdocument for personal use and in courses of instruction provided that the article is used in full and thiscopyright statement is reproduced. The authors also grant a non-exclusive licence to ascilite to publish thisdocument on the ascilite web site and in other formats for Proceedings ascilite Melbourne 2008. Anyother use is prohibited without the express permission of the authors.

Content analysis schemes to analyze transcripts of online asynchronous discussion groups: A review.

Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education.

Online community of inquiry review: Social, cognitive, and teaching presence issues.

Researching the community of inquiry framework: Review, issues, and future directions.

Revisiting methodological issues in transcript analysis: Negotiated coding and reliability.

Student attrition in mathematics e-learning.

Synchronous chat and electronic ink for distance support in mathematics. Innovate -

Adjusting the community of inquiry approach to a synchronous mathematical context

This paper applies the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework previously used in asynchronous discussion forums to synchronous chats in a mathematically-based undergraduate course. While the three presences described in the CoI framework - cognitive, social and teaching presence - are still identified, it is argued that categories and indicators tailored for coding asynchronous discussion may need adjustment when applied to this new context. Preliminary results based on the transcript analysis of one chat log and using two coders are presented in this paper

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http://eprints.usq.edu.au/4679/1/McDonald_Loch_ASCILITE2008_Poster_PV.pdf

Adjusting the community of inquiry approach to a synchronous mathematical context

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