The purpose of this three-manuscript dissertation was to examine the construct and predictive validity of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (i.e., teaching, cognitive and social presence) through a confirmatory factor analysis, meta-analysis, and qualitative synthesis. The first paper was a confirmatory factor analysis study that investigated the construct validity of the social, cognitive, and teaching presences. The second manuscript was a meta-analysis that (a) examined the magnitude of the relationship between social presence and student outcomes (i.e., satisfaction and perceived learning) in fully online courses in a higher education setting; and (b) identified the patterns (e.g., context, disciplinary areas, course duration, and measures of presences) that moderate the strength of the relationships. The third manuscript was a thematic synthesis that investigated the factors perceived by students as influencing their online learning experiences through the lens of the Community of Inquiry framework. Accordingly, the overall results provided conceptual and empirical insights into the construct and predictive validity of the CoI framework. Finally, the last chapter summarized the main findings and contributions of each manuscript and discussed the potential avenues for future research and implications for practice. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]