The rapid migration to remote instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic has expedited the need for more research, expertise, and practical guidelines for online and blended learning. A theoretical grounding of approaches and practices is imperative to support blended learning and sustain change across multiple levels in education organizations, from leadership to classroom. The Community of Inquiry is a valuable framework that regards higher education as both a collaborative and individually constructivist learning experience. The framework considers the interdependent elements of social, cognitive, and teaching presence to create a meaningful learning experience. In this volume, the authors further explore and refine the blended learning principles presented in their first book, Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry, with an added focus on designing, facilitating, and directing collaborative blended learning environments by emphasizing the concept of shared metacognition.

Norman D. Vaughan is a professor in the Department of Education at Mount Royal University. He has co-authored Teaching in Blended Learning Environments: Creating and Sustaining Communities of Inquiry (2013), and Blended Learning in Higher Education (2008). In addition, he has published a series of articles on blended learning and faculty development. Dr. Vaughan is the co-founder of the Blended Online Design Network (BOLD), a founding member of the Community of Inquiry Research Group, the associate editor of the International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning and he is on the editorial boards of numerous national and international journals.

Norman D. Vaughan's profile page

Deborah Dell completed her Doctor of Education in Distance Education at Athabasca University. Debra is a long-time distance education learner and facilitator. Her research and practice work focuses on the integration of emotion and cognition and building collaborative learning and practice communities. She has a special interest in self and co-regulation and the enactment of emotional presence and attunity in education and training programs.

Deborah Dell's profile page

Martha Cleveland-Innes is professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education at Athabasca University. She is editor-in-chief of the bilingual Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, and the co-author of open source publications The Guide to Blended Learning (2018) and Participant Experience in an Inquiry-Based Massive Open Online Course (2022). In 2019 Martha received an Honorary Doctorate from Mid-Sweden University, served as a member of the Advisory Group for Digital Literacy with the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education (2021–2022), and was the virtual educator in residence, National University of Singapore (Fall, 2022). She is currently visiting professor of Pedagogy at Mid-Sweden University.

Martha Cleveland-Innes' profile page

D. Randy Garrison is professor emeritus at the University of Calgary. Dr. Garrison has been dean of Extension at the University of Alberta and director of the Teaching and Learning Centre at the University of Calgary. He has published extensively on teaching and learning in adult, higher and distance education contexts. Dr. Garrison has authored, co-authored or edited fifteen books and well over 100 refereed articles/chapters.

D. Randy Garrison's profile page