Abstract

The aim of this work is to investigate the relation between the dimensions of the Community of Inquiry (COI) model, i.e. teaching, social and cognitive presence, and the students’ learning styles according to the model of Felder and Silverman [6]. A quantitative research was carried out involving 125 postgraduate students of the Hellenic Open University. The teaching presence was observed at a higher degree; in terms of the students’ learning styles the most prevalent were the sensing, visual and active styles. There was a significant positive correlation between the teaching and the cognitive presence as well as between the social and the cognitive presence. Finally, with regard to the correlation between the dimensions of the COI framework and the learning styles, the most significant correlations were observed between (a) the cognitive presence and the understanding of information and (b) the cognitive presence and the full set of learning styles.

Highlights

  • In recent years, an increased research interest has been developed for theoretical and practical frameworks in order to ensure the effectiveness of learning in distance education programmes using the Information and Communication Technologies

  • Taking into account the important role of the learning styles and the insight that the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework offers to the learning process in distance education, the current study focuses in the examination of the three dimensions of the COI framework and of the learning styles of students

  • The purpose of this study was to investigate, in the context of the Hellenic Open University, the three dimensions of the COI framework and the students' learning styles, and especially to examine whether a relationship exists between these parameters

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Summary

Introduction

An increased research interest has been developed for theoretical and practical frameworks in order to ensure the effectiveness of learning in distance education programmes using the Information and Communication Technologies. The effective planning and development of distance education programmes depends on a combination of parameters, one of them being the satisfaction of the students' particular learning needs. To this end, many researchers have focused on students’ learning styles. Adult students constitute a special category in the way they learn [4] They have already a wide range of experiences, values and knowledge and they start training with specific goals and preferred ways of learning

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