In this embedded case study, instructors reflected on their own intentions and practices in the creation and administration of their asynchronous fully online courses to provide new insight into teaching presence as encapsulated in the Community of Inquiry framework and a fresh perspective on teaching in online environments. I interviewed five instructors and one graduate assistant teaching asynchronous fully online courses at a large Midwestern research university using a protocol derived from the Community of Inquiry questionnaire to determine whether and how they engaged in the practices identified by the C of I framework as comprising teaching presence. In addition, the interviews delved into what inspired their choices. The findings provide new insights for those teaching or preparing to teach in online environments, for those responsible for professional development of instructors of asynchronous fully online courses, and for future research into teaching presence. The Community of Inquiry framework was first established by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000) as a methodology and heuristic to describe learning in a computer-based class. The framework is comprised of three overlapping circles, representing teaching, social, and cognitive presence, which work together in worthwhile educational experiences. Teaching presence plays a key mediating role between the other two presences; studies have shown a link between teaching presence and student perceptions of learning, of instructor performance, and of cognitive and affective learning.
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