ResearchArticle
Fostering Learners’ Perceived Presence and High-Level Learning
Outcomes in Online Learning Environments
Abbas Taghizade ,
1
Javad Hatami,
1
OmidNoroozi,
2
Mohammadreza Farrokhnia,
2
and Alireza Hassanzadeh
1
1
Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2
Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
CorrespondenceshouldbeaddressedtoAbbasTaghizade;ataghizade672@gmail.com
Received 31 October 2019; Revised 29 January 2020; Accepted 1 May 2020; Published 1 July 2020
AcademicEditor:Jos´ eCarlosN´ uñez
Copyright © 2020 Abbas Taghizade et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
isstudyinvestigatedtheeffectsofusingateachingmodelenrichedwithpresenceonlearners’perceivedpresenceandhigh-level
learning outcomes in online learning environments. e study was conducted in an Iranian state university with 52 higher
education students majoring in electronic IT management who were randomly divided into experimental or control group
conditions. e research tools included a rubric to measure learner’s perceived presence and the researcher-made survey to
measurelearner’shigh-levellearningoutcomes.eresultsshowedthatthefrequencyoftheproducedsemanticunitsindifferent
types of presence (cognitive, social, and teaching presence) was significantly higher for students in the experimental condition
thanthoseinthecontrolgroupcondition.Inaddition,studentsintheexperimentalconditionshowedmoreprogressioninthe
posttest in terms of their high-level learning outcomes as compared to the students in the control group condition.
1.Introduction
With the advancement of information technologies and
theirapplicationineducationalcontexts[1],itispossibleto
createflexiblelearningenvironmentswithouttherestriction
of time and space [2]. Such flexible environments make
learners able to access different learning materials, share
their ideas, discuss with other participants, and coconstruct
knowledge [3–6]. Also, many studies have indicated the
potentials of online learning environments, in which
learners engage actively in complex and high-level learning
tasks [5, 7–9].
Despite the extensive use of online learning environ-
ments for various courses in higher education, there is
evidenceshowingthatthesecourseshavefailedtomeetthe
learners’ needs without pleasant experiences [10]. In this
regard, scholars emphasize the importance of interaction
(betweenthestudentsand/orbetweenstudentsandteacher)
in high-quality online learning [11–13]. Also, attaining
higher-orderlearningoutcomesandenhancingtheabilityto
transfer learning to other situations can be best achieved
through a community of inquiry, which includes various
combinations of interaction among content, teachers, and
students [14–16].
Garrison et al. [17] constructed a comprehensive
conceptualframeworkdesignedtocapturetheeducational
dynamic of higher education online learning environ-
ments. According to the Community of Inquiry (CoI)
framework, the learning experiences are formed through
the interaction of cognitive presence, social presence, and
teaching presence [18]. Garrison et al. [17] claim that the
shared nature of cognitive, social, and teaching presence
leadstothecreationofaninquirycommunitythatprovides
anenrichedcooperativeandsharedlearningexperiencefor
learners.Cognitivepresenceisdefinedintermsofacycleof
practical inquiry where participants move deliberately
from understanding the problem or issue through explo-
ration,integration,andresolution[19].Cognitivepresence
can also play a full mediator role between teaching and
social presence towards the end of an online learning
Hindawi
Education Research International
Volume 2020, Article ID 6026231, 9 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6026231