The Community of Inquiry Survey: An Assessment Instrument for Online Writing Courses

Abstract

Abstract The Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey (Arbaugh et al., 2008) has been thoroughly validated as a measurement of the extent to which students engage in collaborative learning online. However, despite a strong alignment between composition pedagogy and the theory that grounds the survey, we have not yet employed the survey as an assessment instrument for online writing courses. This article shares the results of a study that delivered a modified version of the CoI Survey to four online sections of second-year composition at a four-year institution in the Mid-Atlantic. Despite the small sample size (n = 32), the findings indicate that the CoI Survey is a valid assessment instrument for the specific context of online writing courses. This article recommends that writing instructors and program administrators incorporate the CoI Survey into their assessment practices, and calls for further research on the ways in which writing courses function as communities of inquiry.