Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools provide an ideal mechanism by which students can interact closely with their lecturers in an open distance learning (ODL) context. This is especially true for students with disabilities who require access through alternative formats. This paper de...

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Main Authors: Sindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa, Simon Bheki Khoza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/152
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author Sindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa
Simon Bheki Khoza
author_facet Sindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa
Simon Bheki Khoza
author_sort Sindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa
collection DOAJ
description Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools provide an ideal mechanism by which students can interact closely with their lecturers in an open distance learning (ODL) context. This is especially true for students with disabilities who require access through alternative formats. This paper demonstrates teaching and learning practices in an ODL institution in South Africa, with a focus on the indispensable role of lecturers and tutors in an online learning setting. The paper employs the Community of Inquiry, which sees the effective online learning environment through three elements: cognitive, social, and teaching presence. The findings shed light on the use of vision-based approaches in course design; limited implementation of open-access policies, and the academic faculty’s lack of knowledge on how to facilitate inclusive learning. The paper concludes by presenting a proposed student-centred framework that seeks to facilitate inclusive teaching and learning towards positive and inclusive learning experiences for students. The proposed framework could be beneficial during pandemic situations.
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spelling doaj.art-43334e56f5d14ee79b8d72bf41fc0acb2023-11-21T13:11:20ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022021-03-0111415210.3390/educsci11040152Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual ImpairmentsSindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa0Simon Bheki Khoza1Open Distance Learning Research Unit, College of Education, University of South Africa, Pretoria 0001, South AfricaCurriculum Studies, School of Education, College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South AfricaInformation and Communication Technology (ICT) tools provide an ideal mechanism by which students can interact closely with their lecturers in an open distance learning (ODL) context. This is especially true for students with disabilities who require access through alternative formats. This paper demonstrates teaching and learning practices in an ODL institution in South Africa, with a focus on the indispensable role of lecturers and tutors in an online learning setting. The paper employs the Community of Inquiry, which sees the effective online learning environment through three elements: cognitive, social, and teaching presence. The findings shed light on the use of vision-based approaches in course design; limited implementation of open-access policies, and the academic faculty’s lack of knowledge on how to facilitate inclusive learning. The paper concludes by presenting a proposed student-centred framework that seeks to facilitate inclusive teaching and learning towards positive and inclusive learning experiences for students. The proposed framework could be beneficial during pandemic situations.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/152community of inquiryeducational experiencecognitivepresencesocial teaching
spellingShingle Sindile A. Ngubane-Mokiwa
Simon Bheki Khoza
Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
Education Sciences
community of inquiry
educational experience
cognitive
presence
social teaching
title Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
title_full Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
title_fullStr Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
title_full_unstemmed Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
title_short Using Community of Inquiry (CoI) to Facilitate the Design of a Holistic E-Learning Experience for Students with Visual Impairments
title_sort using community of inquiry coi to facilitate the design of a holistic e learning experience for students with visual impairments
topic community of inquiry
educational experience
cognitive
presence
social teaching
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/11/4/152
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