Building a Community of Inquiry through Poll Everywhere

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) is a framework for creating an effective collaborative online learning environment. The CoI framework describes how learning takes place in an online learning environment through the engagement and interaction that occur at the intersection of social, teaching, and cognitive presence (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999). CoI offers deep learning experience through peer connection, deliberation, and development of problem-solving skills. Several computer-meditated communication tools can be used to support the CoI. In this presentation, a web-based response tool, Poll Everywhere, will be introduced to the participants along with the demonstration on how the tool can be used along with instructional strategies to promote social, teaching, and cognitive presence in an online learning environment.

Studies found the CoI framework is an excellent model which focuses on each of the essential elements of a community and how those elements intersect to promote collaborative an online learning environment. Based on the framework, the learning occurs within the community through the interaction of three core elements: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999).

Cognitive Presence is the extent to which learners can construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse. Social presence is the ability of learners to project their characteristics into the community. Teaching presence describes the teacher as the primary element in the teaching and learning experience. (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 1999).

The study conducted by Akyol and Garrison (2008) found that while cognitive and teaching presence contributed to a deeper understanding of the material, social presence associated with satisfaction rather than a direct link to the learning process. Also, the study suggested the application of the CoI core elements should be designed and guided by the learning outcomes, learners, and technological context.  

Poll Everywhere, a web-based response tool, can provide the technological context to overcome the asynchronous nature of online communication and the potential for disconnectedness. Although a Learning Management System (LMS) commonly offers various tools (e.g., discussion, announcement, journal, wiki, and messaging system) to both instructors and learners, the tools may not allow users to maximize opportunities to promote a sense of community. For example, the discussion allows the learners to reply to their peers’ responses, but the tool may not account for a global sense of the individual responses which contribute to building the online community. Incorporating an external tool, like Poll Everywhere, allows instructors to bring something new and exciting to learning.

One of the potential tools that can be used to create the CoI in an online learning environment is Poll Everywhere. The tool can foster the interaction among the CoI core elements. Poll Everywhere system offers in real-time (synchronous) and time-lag (asynchronous) responses through various types of interactive activities. Learners can respond to questions or activities on the web or via SMS texting on their phones. Then, the results can be displayed instantly to the audience or made available to the audience when needed. Responses from the result report may then be analyzed and shared with the learners as an instructional strategy. The tool and some of the beneficial features are available for free to Higher-Education users.

The application of Poll Everywhere can help the instructors to design instructional activities that highlight each core element of the CoI:

Social Presence. Instructors can set goals through learning outcomes or provide direction to the learners to prepare the foundation of the social environment. Learners have a social presence despite the virtual participation. Open-ended questions give one example of social presence. Setting up responses to present as a word cloud or text wall can open up a collaborative and meaningful dialogue among the learners. This type of setting allows students to interact with other classmates by sharing learning experiences, building comprehension, supporting and evaluating each other’s work as well as benefits an instructor by helping to develop structures which inspire shared commitments to learning.

Poll Everywhere can be used to create an icebreaker activity with a sample question “What one word would you use to describe yourself?” This question can be followed up with a deliberate thought-provoking discussion prompt in which learners must elaborate on their word choice and peers provide feedback. Before learners begin collaboration in a group activity, learners can be given emotion scale question through Poll Everywhere, so they can gauge how they are feeling before engaging with the group. This activity allows a trigger to reflect on how the learners respond to the activity and to their peers based on how the learners are feeling at that moment. These small but effective strategies help to build a sense of community which enriches the bond and willingness to engage in collaboration.

Cognitive Presence. Learning scenarios can be integrated by utilizing specific technology application tools that encourage team participation. For example, Poll Everywhere allows the ability to assign teams. The teams can then use Poll Everywhere interactive tools to brainstorm and derive resolutions for problem-based or case-based scenarios.

Instructors create questions about the lesson, then questions can be presented to learners before, after, or both depending on the desired outcome. For example, questions regarding learners’ thoughts and expectations of Presidential candidates before and after a debate. A question such as “Who do you think will become the next president of the United States?” is relevant before and after the debate. Also, post-debate follow-up questions, “Did you change your opinion from your response before the debate?,” “What made you change your viewpoint?” and so on.

Results can manifest as a text wall in which learners see the various viewpoints. The presentation of the responses can lead to an in-depth online discussion of perspectives based on the isolated event, the debate. Open-ended questions from learners can arise from the text wall for further exploration of new ideas.

Teaching Presence. Constructing an environment for a hands-on approach allows instructors to break up a lecture into consumable chunks and offer varied activities. The instructor designs the lesson plan incorporating Poll Everywhere activities to build a cohesive community online. The instructor facilitates the interaction, whether synchronous or asynchronous, by first providing the initial engagement activities then by providing feedback and data results. Students can reflect, solve problems, evaluate evidence, analyze arguments, generate hypotheses assisting them in obtaining the necessary learning skills which are essential to mastering material in the discipline.

The Creating a Community of Inquiry through Poll Everywhere education session will focus on using the application to foster an active and collaborative online learning environment. We will provide examples of how to incorporate activities and a takeaway questionnaire to help evaluate the lesson plan for CoI inclusion. 

Akyol, Z., & Garrison, D. R. (2008). The development of a community of inquiry over time in an online course: understanding the progression and integration of social, cognitive and teaching presence. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 12(3), 3–22.

Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T. & Archer, W. (1999). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2), 87–105. doi: 10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6