The effect of teaching, social, and cognitive presence on student engagement in online courses: a structural equation modelling approach

Using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, this study investigates the effects of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence on student engagement in online courses. Most existing research examines engagement in general, but this study assesses engagement by its three fundamental aspects of behaviour, emotion, and cognition due to the heightened need for understanding student engagement in post-pandemic online learning. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse survey data from 220 university students taking online courses. The results revealed that both social presence and cognitive presence have a significant effect on student engagement in online learning environments and are key influences in online learning. Interestingly, teaching presence did not directly impact student engagement, which implies that instructor facilitation may not be sufficient to increase active participation. These results emphasise the critical importance of supporting social interactions that are meaningful and deep cognitive engagement for maximising experiences for learning in virtual environments. This study provides insights for educators and course designers who want to increase engagement and enhance learning achievement in online education. In practice, developing strategies that enhance social and cognitive presence, including promoting peer collaboration and incorporating thought-provoking content, should be emphasised.