The authors posit that learning occurs through the interaction of students and their instructor and is manifest as three integrated elements that contribute to a successful online learning community
social presence (SP), teaching presence (TP), and cognitive presence (CP)
he model also includes cognitive presence, a multivariate measure of critical and creative thinking that results from the cyclical process of practical inquiry within such a community of learners.
The Impact of Asynchronous Audio Feedback on Teaching and Social Presence: A Survey of Current Research.
Data analysis revealed that 1. students perceived audio feedback to be more effective than text-based feedback for conveying nuance, 2. audio feedback was associated with feelings of increased involvement and enhanced learning community interactions, 3. audio feedback was associated with increased retention of content, and 4. audio feedback was associated with the perception that the instructor cared more about the student.
Document analysis revealed that students were far more likely to apply content for which they received audio feedback than content for which text-based feedback was received and at significantly higher cognitive levels. This presentation explores the original study, an ongoing study and two emerging, related areas of inquiry.
According to the community of inquiry model, students must engage with the content and engage with other participants in the course in order to best learn.
In my experience, discussion forums are a great way for students to interact with each other. In addition, these discussion forums allow students to step into the role of teacher by explaining concepts to others and bringing in new resources.