Following is the abstract and recording of a session presented at the DTL Conference that took place August 7, 2019.
A cross-campus committee of instructional designers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed a two-semester collaborative faculty learning community called “TeachOnline@UW.”
To support the exploration and application of best practices in online course design and facilitation, learning community facilitators made strategic use of the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2011). This framework represents a process for creating collaborative-constructivist learning experiences through the development of three interdependent elements: social, cognitive, and teaching presence. While the Community of Inquiry framework was initially presented within the context of online learning experiences, the three dimensions of presence that are foundational to the framework can be used to establish a successful faculty learning community.
Social presence strategies used in the faculty learning community include face-to-face and online discussions. Program facilitators establish teaching presence through the “design, facilitation, and direction” of participants’ experiences (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2011). Cognitive presence is established through learning activities that promote reflection, discussion, and application.
About the Presenters
- Karen Skibba, PhD, is an Online Faculty Development Program Manager for Educational Innovation Program Development in the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. As project manager of a faculty learning community called TeachOnline@UW, she is responsible for helping instructors learn how to design and teach quality online courses.
- Jonathan Klein is an Instructional Design and Technology Consultant for University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Letters and Science where he leads online course design and production services.
- Maria Widmer is an Instructional Designer for the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education.