Student - student communication; student - teacher; student - system

4. Student-student communication

Communication among students is the foundation for creating an active learning community in a virtual environment. When students share ideas, comment on work and collaborate on assignments, they not only develop knowledge but also the social skills needed for professional life. This communication encourages the exchange of different perspectives and experiences, which leads to a deeper understanding of the course content and increases motivation to participate.

In the context of the Community of Inquiry model, student-student communication especially contributes to social presence, as it allows students to see themselves as active members of the community, but also to cognitive presence, since discussions and collaboration encourage the joint construction of knowledge. When students can explain concepts to each other or solve problems together, they move from passive to an active role in the learning process. The teacher has the task of designing activities that will not only be formally collaborative but will provide a real opportunity for interaction and reflection.

Examples of communication:

Google docs

In the first example, a group of students collaborated on a report in the collaborative online tool Google Docs, with each contributing a piece of content, and all participants commenting and suggesting changes.

Moodle activity Forum

In another example, students participate in a thematic discussion on a Moodle forum, where they analyse a case study, with minimal teacher involvement to encourage their independent argumentation.

Moodle activity BigBlueButton

The third example involves a live online discussion via the BigBlueButton activity in the Moodle LMS, in which two groups present opposing viewpoints, followed by a joint reflection on the quality of the arguments, which simultaneously develops cognitive and social skills.