Online Learning Community of Inquiry via Google Meet: A Reference for Distance Education

Abstract

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, many educational platforms were customized to replace the traditional classroom. Similarly, Google Meet is widely recognized as a leading virtual platform; nevertheless, for those without access to online learning, Google Meet appears to be a support platform for distance learning. Furthermore, the use of Google Meet to create an online learning community has not been extensively studied in Vietnam. This study aims to examine how students perceive Google Meet as an online learning community. A semi-structured interview and a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire were used to combine quantitative and qualitative methods. The study involved 294 students from a private school in Vietnam who were familiar with Google Meet. The results showed that in terms of teaching presence (TP), social presence (SP), and cognitive presence (CP), most university students were positive about using Google Meet to create an online learning community. To help English language learners create a dynamic online learning community, challenges and solutions were also listed for fostering an online learning community when using Google Meet for distance education.