Nothing may be more central to the success of a community of inquiry than facilitation. Yes, design is a crucial predicate; however, if design is congruent with the purpose and CoI principles, then the ensuing dynamics are dependent upon the participatory facilitation of all group members and their willingness to assume responsibility for the personal and collaborative learning dynamic.

From this perspective I want to highlight the findings of a study that explored the dynamics of facilitating discourse in a community of inquiry. Specifically the study compared peer-directed and instructor-directed facilitation strategies using the Cognitive Presence (Practical Inquiry) model. The research concluded that "a peer-facilitation approach is more effective for fostering critical thinking and collaborative discourse" (Oh et al., 2018).

Similarly, another study looking at social presence found that fostering creative collaboration with less directive approaches can be effective. They concluded that "Any time that we direct the social or cognitive aspects of the learning environment, ultimately we are taking away those opportunities for the students to take full responsibility over negotiating the needed solutions to the challenges they face" (Hod, et al., 2018, p. 12).

These are important findings that provide confirmation to previous theoretical speculations with regard to encouraging participation. The reality is that students feel more at ease expressing themselves in a peer-facilitated environment where they are more willing to respond to and question their peers compared to the instructor. Unfortunately a common mistake is for the instructor to be excessively present with the result that it inhibits open communication and critical discourse. Students are naturally hesitant to challenge the instructor. At the same time, we must not ignore the essential role and responsibility of the instructor in terms of instructional design and direction to guide collaborative inquiry to resolution.

With that I welcome other perspectives on the challenge of getting participants in a CoI to exercise responsibility and control of the discourse. One question that I have is how might metacognitive awareness of the inquiry process enhance peer-facilitation (Garrison & Akyol, 2015).