Creating a community of inquiry in higher education: A practical example and lessons learned

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to report reflections on the development of successful "Community of Inquiry" in a post-graduate course in Knowledge Management and to demonstrate how theories and concepts of Knowledge Management can be used to underpin such a community, inform educational practice and facilitate student-learning outcomes. The paper describes the design of holistic curricular, learning resources and assessment and feedback strategies, guided by Garrison & Vaughn's (2008) framework for blended learning in Higher Education. Key lessons learned over the past five years (ten semesters) are reported, including the importance of flexible, work-relevant curricular and assessment; feed forward and feedback strategies and student co-contribution to learning. These lessons serve as useful guidance for educators who may consider cultivating a Community of Inquiry in their future teaching practice. While the study is limited to a case study of one course taught by a single academic, and thus cannot be generalized, the findings offer a useful foundation for future study and practice in wider settings.