Utilizing the community of inquiry framework is essential when creating online courses. This model creates powerful learning experiences through three distinct elements: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. This blog will help instructors utilize this framework to enhance student engagement by providing tips to build learning communities in online courses.

Building the Community

Learners perform much better when they feel like they are a part of a learning community. It is crucial to design your online courses to prevent students from feeling isolated. Instead, course design should promote student engagement with one another and the instructor.

Instructor Introduction

Often overlooked in the focus of course content and design, an instructor introduction is an incredibly beneficial first step in building a learning community. With a proper introduction, instructors are communicating that they are real people who care about their students. Introductions should aim to be both professional and approachable, providing basic contact information and how students should address the instructor.

Some possible inclusions are your professional background and experience, your personal values and approach to teaching, and what learners can expect from you throughout the term. Once a desired introduction is drafted, it can be easily used for future courses.

Establish Patways for Instructor Communication

Going hand in hand with the instructor introduction, establishing and making clear pathways for instructor communication is a great way to build a healthy learning community. Now that students have been introduced to their instructor, it is easier for them to feel comfortable reaching out. So, it is necessary to create and outline clear ways for them to do so.

• Provide student hours or office hours. This allows students to have a clear defined time that it is acceptable to reach out.
• Explain when they should expect replies to emails, as well as feedback on assignments. If that expectation has not been met, it enables them to reach out again.
• Facilitate a course Q&A discussion board that allows students to publicly pose questions and view answers, ideally limiting confusion and repeat questions.
• Encourage feedback from students throughout the course.

Learner Introductions

Similar to the instructor introduction, the learner introduction serves as a way for students to meet each other and introduce themselves to their instructor. It is much easier for learners to collaborate in the digital space with one another if they have an opportunity to introduce themselves to each other, which provides a better sense of identity and personality among peers. It also allows instructors to get to know their students.

• If appropriate, allow the choice of format to represent themselves. Canvas allows text, video, audio, and photo submissions.
• Give guidance on what information to provide in your introduction. Without guidlines students may provide a too brief or too broad introduction.
• Ideas for introductions:
  • What they may already know about course content or a question they have.
  • Their strategies for success.
  • Creative ways to provide opportunities to connect.
• Interact with their introductions. Detail commonalities, differences, or simply just make friendly conversation; this bridges the gap and familiarizes students with their instructor.

Provide Expectations for how Learners will Interact with Each Other

Like providing expectations for how the instructor will communicate with students, aim to establish expectations for how students should interact with one another. It is essential to establish appropriate behaviors to foster healthy interactions, as well as to explain how students will be assessed on their communication skills.

Fostering Engagement

Social Presence

Although instructors are in an online space, they should strive to create a healthy social environment. Creating an environment where students feel welcome and accepted is key and can be achieved by following the previous guidelines.

All of the expectations for interactions and guidlines for communication are ways to make students feel a part of a learning community. Encourage an environment where students feel comfortable bringing their own interests and experiences to conversations. Instructors should do the same and ensure they are being authentic, rather than adopting a “teacher persona” that lacks genuine qualities.

Example Activities to Increase Social Presence

• Introduction assignments
• Assignments that require students to create learning materials to explain course concepts to each other
• Host a debate between two groups
• Student facilitated discussions

Cognitive Presence

The nature of an asynchronous class allows for you to build in more time to ask learners to reflect on their own learning process. Encourage students to interpret course concepts and construct meaning for themselves.

Providing assignments that are self directed will ask learners to assume more responsibility to regulate their own cognitive abilities within the course. Ask learners to recognize a need or proble,m and then they can do the search for that knowledge or experience and create a meaningful explanation through a form of practical inquiry.

Example Activities to Increase Cognitive Presence

• Reflection on instructor feedback or the study process.
• Scaffolded projects and essays with drafts to allow multiple feedback points.
• Assignments that allow students to incorporate material found outside of the course.
• Assignments that allow course content to be connected to current events or developments in the field of study.

Want to learn more? Click the link below to watch Digital Learning Strategist Leslie Fuller go into more detail on these tips.

Fostering Student Engagement and Community in the Online Classroom

Upcoming Events 

Workshop Wednesday: Increasing Active Learning in Your Online Course

November 19th, 1:30-2:30 PM

This will be an active participation workshop where participants will bring either a learning activity they currently use or an idea for an activity they would like to explore for an upcoming course. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to define active learning, apply methods to increase active learning in their courses, and each will have a newly improved learning activity to use in their course design.

This training session will be held over Zoom. After completing the registration form, you will receive an Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.

Click here to register and receive the Zoom link!

Facilitated by James Butler, Digital Learning Strategist.

Quick Hits: Canvas Gradebook Settings, Grade Weights, and Extra Credit

December 4th, 3:00-4:00 PM

This quick hit will cover helpful settings in the Canvas gradebook, including utilizing grade weights effectively and incorporating extra credit in your course.

This training session will be held over Zoom. After completing the registration form, you will receive an Outlook calendar invitation, including the Zoom link. All registrants will be sent a copy of the recorded training.

Click here to register and receive the Zoom link!

Facilitated by John Dickinson, IT Services Specialist.

Clemson Online Fall 2025 Events Calendar

Review our Fall 2025 Events Calendar to see what Online Instruction Development opportunities await!

We have a robust lineup of topics and live training formats to support your use of Canvas and other e-learning tools. Topics cover demonstrations of using Kaltura, engaging your students, and workshops to get your Canvas site ready to teach!

All of our live training is recorded. Registrants will automatically receive a link to that day’s video after it has been processed.

Contact Millie Tullis with any questions regarding these sessions.

Clemson Online – Where Tech and Teaching Meet