Martha Cleveland-Innes

  • Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education, Athabasca University
  • Visiting Professor of Pedagogy, Mid Sweden University
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor (Sociology), University of Calgary
  • Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology (CJLT)

[email protected]

orcid.org/0000-0002-9486-2554

Impact Metrics
3,157
Total Citations
5
PR Journals
16
h-index
0
i10-index
0
Top Conf
5
Other Works
Awards & Honors
Honorary Doctorate (Doctorate Honoris Causa)

Mid Sweden University

2019
Leadership Award

Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CNIE)

2019
Craig Cunningham Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence

Athabasca University

2011
President’s Award for Research and Scholarly Excellence

Athabasca University

2009
Past Positions

Virtual Educator in Residence, National University of Singapore

2022–2022

Member, Advisory Group for Digital Literacy, B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education

2021–2022

Visiting Researcher, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

2015–2018

Guest Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

2011–2014
Education
Ph.D., Sociology of Adult and Higher Education
University of Calgary (1996)
M.A., Sociology (Adult Education)
University of Calgary (1989)
Biography

Professor of Open, Digital, and Distance Education at Athabasca University; Editor‑in‑Chief of the Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology. Her research focuses on online and blended learning, Communities of Inquiry, leadership in higher education, and lifelong learning. Co‑editor of An Introduction to Distance Education (2nd ed.) and co‑author of Teaching in Blended Learning Environments, The Guide to Blended Learning, and Participant Experience in an Inquiry‑Based MOOC.

Theories & Frameworks
Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework

Collaborative‑constructivist model of online and blended learning comprising social, cognitive, and teaching presence; Cleveland‑Innes is a principal researcher advancing its measurement and causal structure.

Introduced: 2000
Relationships of Inquiry (RoI)

Model extending CoI for one‑to‑one online coaching/learning contexts that adds emotional presence to cognitive, social, and teaching presence.

Introduced: 2016
PAGE MOOC Success framework

Holistic quality framework for MOOCs introduced through analysis of the TELMOOC participant experience; addresses reporting of completion and components of effective online teacher professional development.

Introduced: 2022
Research Interests
  • Blended Learning
  • Education Leadership
  • Higher Education
  • Learning Communities
  • Metacognition
  • Open Education
  • Professional Development
  • Self-Regulated Learning
  • Teacher Education
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles & Top Conference Papers
5

Online Learning • Journal

Martha Cleveland-Innes

Explores emotional presence within the Relationship of Inquiry framework for one‑to‑one online coaching. Survey and transcript coding from an online math coaching service show that adding emotional presence alongside cognitive, social, and teaching presence enhances analysis of coaching settings and identifies emotional presence as an essential, distinct component.

Internet and Higher Education • Journal

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

Tests hypothesized causal paths among the three presences in the Community of Inquiry. Using the CoI survey, results confirm the factor structure and show that teaching and social presence significantly influence cognitive presence, and teaching presence influences social presence, underscoring the centrality of teaching presence in establishing and sustaining a CoI.

DOI 667 citations

Internet and Higher Education • Journal

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

Reports development and validation of a 34‑item instrument that operationalizes the Community of Inquiry framework. Factor analyses supported valid, reliable measures of social and cognitive presence; teaching presence emerged as two factors—design/organization and instructor behaviors. Implications for researchers, designers, administrators, and instructors are discussed.

DOI 709 citations

Internet and Higher Education • Journal

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

Examines reliability and validity concerns in analyzing asynchronous online educational discourse. The paper argues for using a sound theoretical model and explores the advantages of negotiated coding for training coders, refining coding schemes, and improving reliability. Guidance is offered on units of analysis, sampling, and coding procedures for CoI‑based transcript analysis.

American Journal of Distance Education • Journal

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

Assesses the depth of online learning in four distance education course designs using the Study Process Questionnaire. Findings indicate that course design and teaching presence (structure and leadership) are critical for achieving deep, meaningful approaches to learning; simple interaction without instructional design or facilitation does not suffice.

Other Works
5

Commonwealth of Learning • Book

Martha Cleveland-Innes

Presents a research‑based analysis of ten offerings (2017–2021) of the Introduction to Technology‑Enabled Learning MOOC, designed with the iMOOC model consistent with the Community of Inquiry framework. It examines participants’ experiences, proposes improved MOOC completion reporting, introduces the PAGE MOOC Success framework, and outlines a model of online‑delivered teacher professional development.

Routledge / Taylor & Francis • Book

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

A comprehensive overview of distance education that reviews its history and current influence while outlining theories, practices, and goals essential to effective design and delivery. Using a student‑guided approach, chapters include questions for reflection, key quotations, and concept definitions to support learning. The volume provides a solid foundation for exploring and developing new approaches to online course design and implementation.

Commonwealth of Learning • Book

Martha Cleveland-Innes

An open, step‑by‑step guide to adopting blended learning strategies that integrate distance education methods with face‑to‑face activities. It discusses types of blended learning across contexts, associated pedagogy, materials, and technology use, and includes activities, videos, and templates to support teachers in implementing and evaluating blended learning.

In An Introduction to Distance Education (2nd ed., Routledge) • Chapter

Martha Cleveland-Innes

A reflective foreword to the second edition that situates contemporary distance education within evolving pedagogical, technological, and organizational contexts, inviting readers to engage with the volume’s themes and contributions to theory and practice.

Athabasca University Press • Book

Martha Cleveland-Innes, D. Randy Garrison

Provides a coherent framework for designing, facilitating, directing, and assessing blended learning experiences grounded in the Community of Inquiry. The book argues that blended environments require significant role adjustments for instructors and details the elements of teaching presence that support deep and meaningful learning outcomes.