Comparing Delivery Methods of an Introductory Nutrition Course Using the Community of Inquiry.

Abstract

To compare student perceptions and final grades of online vs face-to-face nutrition courses using the community of inquiry (COI) framework.Using a cross-sectional research design, students in 3 courses completed the 34-item COI questionnaire. One-way ANOVA compared the COI and final grades.One hundred eight students participated. There were no significant differences in the perception of teaching presence (F[2,103] = 0.214, P = .81), social presence (F[2,103] = 0.393, P = .68), cognitive presence (F[2,103] = 0.428, P = .65), and final grades (F[2,140] = 0.846, P =.43).Online courses may provide similar perceptions of connection to the course content, peers, and the instructor similar to face-to-face courses and may result in similar grades. Instructor professional development may be warranted to ensure the use of instructional strategies that enhance connections and facilitate higher-level learning. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings with multiple instructors and a larger sample size.