Designing Online Class using Discord based on Community of Inquiry Framework

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic changes the landscape of education, where online learning becomes very important and can not be avoided. Therefore, this article discusses how a gamer's platform, Discord can be used as an interactive online class. A comparison of Discord with other online platforms is spelled out in a tabular form. The principle used to design the online class using Discord is based on Community of Inquiry (CoI). CoI consists of three elements which are teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence for a better educational experience. The design discussed in this article are Discord features design for the online class and class activity using Discord in developing the three elements in CoI. Data collection is done using open-ended surveys. They are 58 respondents with engineering and non-engineering students. Most of the students are familiar with Discord and agreed that Discord can be adapted for an online class. Thematic analysis is conducted to analyze the open-ended questions. The themes that can be identified are parallel channels, structure, all-in-one platform, facilitation, and learning environment. Another analysis is message counts in each student group to show how active the students in online class using Discord. In conclusion, Discord is the best platform to make students active and construct knowledge with peers.