As part of strengthening scientific and academic cooperation between the College of Education for the Humanities at Kerbala University and Iranian universities, the department of English Language, represented by the Head of the Department, Assist. Prof. Dhyiaa Khalil Nayel, hosted Assist. Prof. Dr. Mahboubah Taqi Zadahfrom Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, to deliver a scientific workshop titled “Implementing the Community of Inquiry Framework in Online Classrooms: A Pathway to Deeper Learning and Engagement,” attended by faculty members and students of the department.
The future of education, as Garrison and Anderson (2003) state, is e-learning, as it tends to transform teaching and learning in various educational contexts, particularly in higher education. In times of significant educational changes, successful transformation relies not only on strategic development but also on sound theoretical and conceptual foundations.
The workshop included a presentation on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, as well as a discussion on the application of its indicators, alongside relevant research areas.
The workshop concluded with several recommendations, the most prominent of which were: universities need to keep pace with technological advancements by investing in e-learning and starting to use its methods as an alternative approach to traditional classroom methods. Additionally, teachers and e-learning course designers should utilize theoretical and practical frameworks for electronic courses.
The workshop concluded with answers to questions from both attendees and faculty members.
