Linda M. Wiley’s research while affiliated with Baker University and other places

In 2018, Baker University (KS) launched its instructional design and performance technology (IDPT) doctoral program, designed for working adults. Students are grouped into cohorts and follow a prescribed coursework path, each course lasting approximately seven weeks. Integral to the program is the directed field experience (DFE), an opportunity for doctoral students to apply IDPT theory to practice, acquire and practice leadership skills, and provide service to client organizations. Baker's DFE and service-learning (SL) share similar philosophical principles. This chapter explores the history of Baker University, its roots in the Methodist Episcopalian faith, the IDPT doctoral program, and how DFEs provide students with SL opportunities and develop their scholarly identity. Through first-person narratives, doctoral students, client organization mentors, and university faculty reflect on their experiences, the importance of SL in the academic experience, and SL's long-lasting impact on organizations, communities, and student's lives.

This chapter explores three types of presence (i.e., teacher, social, and cognitive) that are essential in establishing communities of inquiry, the teacher’s role in creating learning objectives, active learning experiences and appropriate online tools, the community of inquiry’s social and cognitive aspects, the challenges teachers face in online learning environments, and how all of these ideas weave together to foster rapport and trust among learners.