Photo-Based Protocols to Support Community of Inquiry in Online Discussions

Online discussions tend to be more effective when they are purposefully structured. In this article, we describe how the design of a photo-based protocol influenced community interactions within an online discussion in an undergraduate course. Students were asked to take and share a photo related to a course concept, respond to a peer’s photo, and reflect on the comments they received. Discussion posts were coded to identify the three presences (social, cognitive, and teaching) within the Community of Inquiry framework, and student feedback about the experience was analyzed. Findings indicated that the protocol supported all three presences among learners within the community. Cognitive presence was the most frequently exhibited presence, with students exploring concepts from the photos together. In the future, enhancements to the protocol design are proposed to elicit richer interactions and references to course materials.