In this episode, Rob and Jared chat with Dr. Norm Vaughan who has a PhD in Education from the University of Calgary and is currently a professor in the Department of Education at Mount Royal University. They discuss a key component of the Community of Inquiry framework—cognitive presence. Contact us at [email protected] with any questions. You can also visit our blog at cedarville.edu/focusblog for additional resources. We would love to get your feedback! Please fill out our survey to help improve our podcast and serve you better.

Dr. Vaughan emphasizes the importance of understanding students' needs and prior experiences to connect the learning with their existing knowledge. The design of a course should consider the unique characteristics of different groups of students and create an environment that fosters collaboration and interaction. He believes that the best facilitation of online courses involves modeling and guiding students through the cognitive inquiry process. Asking open-ended questions is important as well as engaging students in the exploration phase to deepen their understanding.

Dr. Vaughan also discusses the role of assessment in promoting cognitive presence, noting the need for self-assessment, peer feedback, and external feedback from experts. He recognizes that challenges exist in teaching an online course, so he suggests using surveys and pre-assessment activities to understand students' knowledge and tailor instruction accordingly.

Resources 

Teaching in Blended Learning Environments 

Seven Principles of Blended Learning 

Dr. Norm Vaughan in Google Scholar