The Interrelated Criteria of Student Engagement
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2 Cognitive Presence
The next element is cognitive presence. Garrison 2007 states that “cognitive presence is defined as the exploration, construction, resolution and
confirmation of understanding through collaboration and reflection in a community of inquiry p. 65.
The three main points that really influence students’ cognitive presence are exploration, integration, and resolution. It means the students are
exchanging information within the students, connecting the ideas and applying new ideas to improve the prior knowledge.
3 Teacher Presence
The third element is teacher presence. According to Garrison 2007, teacher presence concerns to three main points, namely design, facilitation, and
instruction. The teacher presence is a significant determiner of the student s’
satisfaction in learning. In this point, the design is related to the lecturers’ role to
inform the materials to the students during the learning process. The lecturers also give clear instruction of how to participate in the learning activities and clearly
communicate the time allocation of the learning activities to the students. The lecturers are not only giving the design but also guiding the students during the
learning activities. They observe the students ’ understanding, keep the students on
learning track, engaging in productive works, and encouraging them to explore more on the courses being discussed. Related to the direct instruction, the lecturers
focus on the discussion held in the community and provide relevant feedback for the students. Hence, their learning activities become more meaningful.
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