Constructing a Teaching Presence Measurement Framework Based on the Community of Inquiry Theory

Abstract

Given that there is no consensus on a framework for measuring presence in online teaching, this paper focuses on the construction of a reliable measurement framework of teaching presence based on the Community of Inquiry theory. In this study, 408 questionnaires were collected from college students who had online learning experience. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze the results, which showed that the five-factor framework is in good agreement with the data. The confirmatory factor analysis also demonstrated a good model fit of the correlated five-factor teaching presence framework. Therefore, the teaching presence measurement framework consisting of design and organization, discourse facilitation, direct instruction, assessment, and technological support, can serve as an effective tool to support teaching presence measurement and to provide guidance for instructors’ online teaching.