Course Delivery Mode, Community of Inquiry, and Student Satisfaction in an Introductory Information Technology Course

The community of inquiry (CoI) framework identifies three essential elements—social, cognitive, and teaching presences—that are crucial for a successful online learning experience. This study utilized the CoI framework to examine whether differences existed in students’ perceived CoI presences between online and face-to-face sections of an introductory undergraduate IT course. The results indicated significant differences in social and teaching presences between the two delivery modes. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that social, cognitive, and teaching presences were significant predictors of students’ course satisfaction, and different instructors significantly influenced social presence. However, a close comparison of both delivery modes taught by the same instructor showed no differences in the CoI presences. These findings suggest that while students experience different levels of presence across different delivery modes, teachers have the potential to mitigate these differences and contribute to successful online learning experiences.