Exploring Remote English Language Instruction Using the Communities of Inquiry Framework

Abstract

Emergency remote instruction brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has required a substantial shift in teaching practice within American English programs. Although online learning in higher education has been widely researched, little is known about how to create a sustainable community of engaged learners in a remote language learning context. Using the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework, this case study investigated how one intensive English program adjusted to remote instruction, including whether teachers made substantive adaptions to support COIs in their courses. Results show that teachers changed their courses to include more structure and multimodal means of communication but struggled to facilitate social interaction and assess cognitive engagement of their students.