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The Community of Inquiry (CoI) model provides a lens to examine online learning through three elements: teaching presence (the design and facilitation of learning experiences), social presence (the extent to which learners project themselves as real people) and cognitive presence (the extent to which learners are able to construct meaning through inquiry and reflection activities). While research to date has established the importance of these essential presences in online learning environments, recent research on the CoI model calls for the need to explore the role of learner characteristics. The current study responded to the call by examining the role of learners' epistemic beliefs (EB) (ie, individuals' fundamental beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing) in an online CoI. Multiple linear regressions analyses revealed that EB moderated the relationship between learners' perceived teaching presence and cognitive presences. Future studies on CoI should take learners' epistemic beliefs into consideration, especially in the case of low teaching presences. Theoretical and practical implications for designing and investigating online learning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] uracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study examined the relationships between perceived leadership, group cohesion, online engagement, self‐regulation and learning outcomes. Data included surveys and online discussion logs from 171 students in an undergraduate online course. Through correlation analysis and structural equation modeling, the results revealed unique contributions of task and relationship leadership in small group collaborative learning. Each form of leadership may translate into greater use of self‐regulation strategies that align with students' focus on either the instrumental or interpersonal resources related to academics but may bring about a corresponding lower utilization of other types of self‐regulation strategies. Further, results indicate that students' perceptions of group cohesion provided the most robust and multifaceted positive associations with learning engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]