E–Learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice (2nd Edition)

Garrison, D. R. (2011). E–Learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice (2nd Edition). London: Routledge/Falmer.

The goal of the 2nd edition of E-learning in the 20th Century is to provide an update based on a decade of research since the first publication of the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 2000). The 1st edition essentially compiled the original set of articles authored by the principle researchers. In the 2nd edition, chapters one, four and twelve have been completely rewritten, a new chapter has been added (chapter 8) and the remaining chapters have undergone significant revision to incorporate the considerable research of an e-learning community of inquiry since the first publication. The revisions provide new perspectives and understanding that enhance considerably the Community of Inquiry framework as a theoretical and practical guide.

This book is an inquiry into e-learning in higher education. By inquiry we mean the process of transforming an “indeterminate situation” into one that is unified and coherent – to paraphrase Dewey (1938, p. 117). The primary product of this inquiry has been the Community of Inquiry theoretical framework. The framework has also provided guidance in the subsequent inquiry into e-learning. While this may sound like a closed loop, true inquiry is open to new evidence and insights; and there have been many insights over the years that we will explore in this new edition.