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research & disseminating knowledge

insights into my research skills, interests, and experiences 

As I approach the culmination of my doctoral studies, my efforts are focused on finalizing my dissertation, which builds on my passion for fostering collaborative, meaningful online learning experiences. Grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework, my research emphasizes the critical role of teaching presence—the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes—in creating impactful and equitable online education.

 

Research Statement

My research is dedicated to bridging the gap between theory and practice in instructional design, ensuring that online learning environments are evidence-based, scalable, and effective. I aim to empower educators to adopt collaborative and inclusive teaching strategies that enrich learning experiences. This involves investigating innovative tools and evidence-based strategies that enhance teaching presence and, by extension, the overall success of online education.

 

Key Research Areas

  1. Enhancing Teaching Presence in Online Education:

    • Exploring instructor behaviors that cultivate strong teaching presence in virtual classrooms.

    • Identifying strategies that improve student perceptions of teaching presence and their impact on engagement and satisfaction.

    • Investigating the role of professional development programs, such as CoPILOT, in enhancing teaching presence practices.

  2. Incorporating the CoI Framework into Instructional Design:

    • Examining how CoI principles shape instructors’ design practices and course delivery after targeted training.

    • Addressing barriers educators face when operationalizing CoI principles in course design.

    • Highlighting teaching presence strategies deliberately integrated into learning activities, assessments, and communication.

  3. Expanding the Theoretical Foundations of CoI:

    • Aligning the CoI Framework with broader educational theories like constructivism, social learning, and self-regulated learning.

    • Adapting the framework to emerging challenges in diverse learning contexts and integrating new technologies, such as AI and adaptive learning systems, to enhance teaching, social, and cognitive presence.

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Notable Achievements

  • Recognition by Dr. Randy Garrison:
    My first single-authored publication, “Designing a Community of Inquiry in Online Courses,” received acknowledgment from Dr. Garrison, a leading expert on the CoI Framework. His response to my work and invitations for guest lectures on the topic were milestones in my research journey.

  • Award-Winning Autoethnography:
    In 2021, our collaborative autoethnography project earned the inaugural Outstanding Research and Theory Division-Sponsored Accepted Student Proposal Award from AECT. This work, published in Educational Technology Research and Development in 2022, has significant implications for advancing instructional design practices.    ​

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Selected Publications

2024

Richardson, J. C., Fiock, H., Olesova, L., & Stenbom, S. (2024). Evidence-based Practices for Developing a Community of Inquiry. In T. Martindale, T. Amankwatia, L. Cifuentes & A. Pina (Eds.)., Handbook of Research in Online Learning. Brill. 

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2023

Fiock, H. & McKenzie, G. (2023). Frameworks to Engage Diverse Learners. In J. Noone & P. Gubrud (Eds.)., Best Practices in Teaching Nursing. Wolters Kluwer. ​

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2022

Fiock, H., Meech, S., Yang, M., Long, Y., Farmer, T., Hilliard, N., Koehler, A., & Cheng, Z. (2022). Instructional design learners make sense of theory: A collaborative autoenthnography. Educational Technology Research and Development.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-10075-8

 

Understanding theory is essential to instructional design (ID) research and practice; however, novice designers struggle to make sense of instructional design theory due to its abstract and complex nature, the inconsistent use of theoretical terms and concepts within literature, and the dissociation of theory from practice. While these challenges are generally understood, little is known about the sensemaking process of learners as they encounter these challenges in pursuit of deeper theoretical understanding. Using a collaborative autoethnographic approach, six ID learners investigated their sensemaking experience within an advanced ID theory course. Autoethnography, a form of qualitative research, focuses on self-reflection “to gain an understanding of society through the unique sense of self” (Chang et al., 2013, p. 18). Collaborative autoethnography, a type of autoethnography, explores anecdotal and personal experiences “collectively and cooperatively within a team of researchers” (p. 21). Using individual and collective reflexive and analytic activities, this inquiry illuminates the numerous sensemaking approaches ID learners commonly used to move beyond their initial, basic theoretical understanding, including deconstructing theory, distinguishing terminology, integrating concepts with previous knowledge, and maintaining an openness to multiple perspectives. Additionally, ID learners experienced significant struggles in this process but viewed these struggles as significant and motivating elements of their sensemaking process. Finally, this study offers implications for learners, instructors, and course designers.

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  • After over three years in the making, this paper provides insights into how doctoral learners make sense of theory. This project was awarded an AECT RT&D Outstanding Student Submission and is published in Educational Technology Research and Development - a proud accomplishment for six doctoral students who conducted a collaborative autoethnography.

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2021

​Richardson, J. C., Caskurlu, S., Castellanos-Reyes, D., Duan, S., Ud Duha, M. S., Fiock, H., & Long, Y. (2021). Instructors’ conceptualization and implementation of scaffolding in online higher education courses. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-021-09300-3 

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This multiple case study explores how instructors conceptualize and employ scaffolding in online courses. Participants included full time faculty (n = 4) who have designed and taught at least one online course within the past 12 months. Data sources included pre-interview surveys, semi-structured interviews, and online course observations. Data were analyzed by employing a general analytical strategy for developing a case description (Yin, 2018). The results showed that (a) instructors define scaffolding as a support to help students achieve course outcomes and (b) instructors implement different types of scaffolding (i.e., conceptual, metacognitive, procedural, strategic, and motivational) in hard and soft scaffolding forms. The results also showed that instructors' conceptualization and implementation of scaffolding differed based on their discipline and teaching philosophy, and the unique features of online courses. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

 

  • This paper (a product of a course project) provides insights into online scaffolding - an area lacking in research. In addition, in the appendix, there is a very helpful list of how scaffolding has been defined and the different types we found as part of this study. 

 

2020

Fiock, H. (2020). Designing a Community of Inquiry in online courses. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21(1), 134-152. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.3985 

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This article describes a practical approach for implementing instructional strategies in order to build a Community of Inquiry (CoI) into an online course. Online community building has positive effects on the quality of student learning, increases student engagement, and encourages motivation of students in online courses. The CoI is a theoretical framework focusing on facilitating meaningful learning experiences through three presences: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. This article will introduce the CoI framework by way of literature review focusing on CoI instructional strategies. Using Sorensen and Baylen’s (2009) seven principles of good practice, the author will structure CoI instructional activities into presence categories for practitioner use.

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  • This paper was my first, single authored paper. In addition, I'm proud of its impact it has for pracitioner use - something I feel is lacking in the current research on the Community of Inquiry Framework. This article has received a response from Dr. Randy Garrison and has also been translated into two different languages. 

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A full listing of publications & presentations can be found in my CV.  

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