What is Learning Presence and What Can it Tell Us About Success in Learning Online?

The Community of Inquiry (COI) framework focused on the roles of course design and facilitation (Teaching Presence), students' sense of community and belonging (Social Presence), and cognitive engagement with the course content (Cognitive Presence) in developing valuable learning experiences in primarily text-based learning environments. The role of students' self-regulatory processes (Learning Presence) along with the original constructs was proposed in recent years. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to confirm the measurement and dimensionality of TP, SP, LP, and CP. The internal reliability of survey instrument used in the study was established by evaluation of Cronbach's alpha for the TP, SP, CP, and LP scales. The reliability coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.92. Hierarchical linear regression was then used to evaluate the relationship of LP to CP, controlling for variance already explained by TP and SP. The two-step hierarchical linear regression (n = 248) showed that TP and SP explained 52 percent of the variance in CP, R-square = 0.520, F(2, 245) = 132.73, p < 0.01 in the first model. In the second model, LP explained and additional 9 percent of the of the variance in CP beyond what was explained by TP and SP, delta R- square = 0.090, F(1, 244) = 56.08, p < 0.01. Results from this study suggest that LP adds value to the COI framework and warrants further investigation.