Community of inquiry (Col) framework and course design as predictors of satisfaction in emergency remote teaching: Perspectives of hospitality management students

The Community of Inquiry (Col) is a popular framework to measure meaningful engagement and communication in distance learning environments, where it is claimed that three interactive elements of presence (teaching, social, and cognitive) enhance the quality of education and learning outcomes. However, research suggests lack of empirical evidence on its efficacy in emergency remote teaching. Using a noteworthy research contribution on Col as the central subject of this research, we examined its applicability in remote teaching environment as a predictor of student satisfaction. In doing so, we tested the proposition that course design variables mediate the relationship between Col and student satisfaction. A theoretical model is developed and tested using data collected from 621 hospitality students from an Institute of Eminence in India. Students were electronically queried to capture the data within a 10-day time frame. The data collected using a 34 item Col scale, 6 item course design scale, and 6 item online course satisfaction scale were analysed using structural equation modelling and PROCESS macro 3.4 - Model 4. Overall, the results showed that the proposed model fits the observed relationships and teaching presence is the primary determinant of satisfaction. Tikewise, the results implied partial mediation by course design on the relationship between Col elements and satisfaction. We believe that this model could serve as a guide to possible future studies to explore the relevance of Col framework in emergency remote teaching. The outcomes provide significant theoretical and practical contributions to the key stakeholders to design a satisfying online curricula as part of blended learning for the post COVID-19 era.