Examining the development of community of inquiry in web-based distance learning environments: The effects of peer and instructor assessment

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of peer and instructor assessment methods in development of community of inquiry, the different effects of peer and instructor assessment in community development and to present perceived and reflected levels of teaching, social and cognitive presence. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used and research model has been adopted as mixed method. The dependent variables were teaching presence, social presence and cognitive presence that are there essential elements of community of inquiry. The independent variable was the assessment method. Participants were 44 students of Department of Child Development (Distance Education). Experimental procedures were conducted on two similar groups including peer assessment group and instructor assessment group. Two undergraduate courses with delivered online in web based distance education environment was the focus of the study. Quantitative data was collected through "Community of Inquiry Instrument". Qualitative data was collected through transcript analysis of online discussions. The data collected in this research were analyzed by using mean tables and Mann-Whitney-U test. The results indicated that community of inquiry developed in both courses. However, the study found developmental differences in the presences regarding peer and instructor assessment. In terms of perceived social presence, group cohesion was found different. Group cohesion was higher in the course included instructor assessment regarding the course included peer assessment. The transcript analysis in this study found that integration, a category of cognitive presence, was the most frequently coded phase in both courses. Finally, the survey analysis indicated that the perceptions of each presence were high in both courses. However, the students in the course included instructor assessment had slightly higher perceptions of each presence. The only significant difference was found on social presence. The perceived social presence was found to be significantly higher in the course included instructor assessment regarding the course included peer assessment. Keywords: Community of inquiry, teaching presence, social presence, cognitive presence, assessment methods