Where’s my Instructor? Creating a Sense of Online Instructor

PresenceCathy Gillis & Julie Hall

Napa Valley College

jhall@napavalley.eduJulie Hall 2011

What is a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching?

Palloff and Pratt (2007) the “ability to present oneself as a real person online. Students in an online class, feeling themselves to be real persons, are likely to want to connect with another real person” (p. 32).

Lehman and Conceiçāo (2010) “being there” and “being together” with online learners throughout the learning experience” (p. 3).

Intro_to_Instructor_Presence.mp4

Why is a Sense of Presence so Important in Online Learning?

• A sense of presence is complex, intangible• Virtual spaces, students can’t interact in person

—used to Social Media interactions• Can’t see, touch, or feel peers and instructor in

person• Feelings of isolation and dissatisfaction• Instructors must consider “social, psychological,

and emotional aspects of presence” (Lehman & Conceiçāo, 2010)

Interaction and Engagement are Crucial for Perceived Presence

It is theorized that presence will not be felt in an online course room without sufficient

interaction and engagement between learners-to-learners and learners-to-

instructor and vice versa.

Are Presence & Engagement the Same?

• “Engagement is only one aspect of presence: it is the participation of the instructor with learners or learners with other learners as they interact in the online environment. . .

• Presence includes the dynamic interplay of thought, emotion, and behavior in the online environment.”

(Lehman & Conceiçāo, 2010, p. 4)

Encourage Collaboration & Reflection

One way to create an online learning community is to “consider emotion as a guide in the development of presence in online learning communities. . . [and] to use collaborative and reflective communication among participants.”

(Lehman and Conceiçāo, 2010, p. 11).

How to Create an Online Learning Community- CSI Presence

• Cognitive Presence- Allow learners to construct meaning through their social interactions (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer,

2005)

• Social Presence- Allow learners to overcome feelings of isolation in the online course room (Lynch, 2003/2006)

• Instructor Presence- Create a sense of being there for the students (Lehman & Conceiçāo, 2010)

Source: Garrision, Anderson, Archer, (2003)

 

Online Social Presence

“Present in Learning

Community”

Online Social Presence

“Present in Learning

Community”

Online Cognitive Presence

“Constructing Knowledge in

Virtual Learning

Community”

Online Cognitive Presence

“Constructing Knowledge in

Virtual Learning

Community”

Community of Inquiry Model

Instructor Must Encourage

Collaboration & Reflection

Instructor Must Encourage

Collaboration & ReflectionAll three factors must be in balance for

successful learning experience to occur.

Online InstructorPresence

“Being There in Virtual Learning

Community”

Online InstructorPresence

“Being There in Virtual Learning

Community”

Adapted from (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000 as cited in as cited in Lehman and Conceiçāo, p. 11).

Learner at Center of Course Design

"While most research focuses on cognitive, social, and teaching presence . . a perceptual systems approach is central to the design process.  Designing with a sense of presence starts with an awareness of presence and places the learner at the center of the design process”

(Lehman and Conceiçāo , 2010, pp. 11-12)

Design Ahead for Instructor Presence!

• Plan, Plan, and Plan ahead to create instructor presence!

• Designing online classes without considering ways of creating an online learning community may lead to negative feelings about perceptions of an online instructor’s teaching presence.

Lehman and Conceiçāo’s Determinants of Presence

1. Content

2. Format

3. Strategies

4. Instructor role

5. Technology

6. Support (2010, p. 31).

Palloff and Pratt’s Instructor Functions to Create Presence

• People-social interactions between students/instructor

• Purpose- course goals and guidelines • Process- collaborating to reflect

and transform learning• Outcomes- co-creating

knowledge through

transformation and

instructor presence (2007, p. 109).

Prior to and Course Beginning• Pre-Course Welcome Letter through

WebAdvisor or Roster of Student emails (if possible)

• First-Week Welcome through personalized online orientation with pictures and sound

• Scavenger Hunt• Introduction Discussion w/Photos• Learning Styles Self-Assessment• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)• Learning Contract

During Course- Keep up the Momentum!

• Be a facilitator and guide-by-the side to keep it student-centered versus instructor-centered (such as Cathy’s example using audio introductions each week)

• Keep a “Q&A” discussion board forum up all semester (saving you many emails and repetition)

• Weekly Announcements (visual and audio)• Interactive Media- YouTube videos, podcasts• Team projects/activities• Case studies• Timely Feedback• Online office hours

During Course- Be There, or be Square

• No yawning allowed!

• Stay present! Be There!

• Keep it lively and fun!

• Don’t overly hover! No need answer every learner!

• Continue to encourage reflection!

End of Course

• Announcements

• Final Course Deadlines

• Online Office Hours

• Timely Feedback

• Letters to Successors

• End-of-Course Evaluation

Do all Students Value Instructor Presence?

• Michelle Drouin (2008), Indiana University and Purdue University, conducted study on the topic of students’ perceptions of online learning communities and a sense of community, satisfaction, achievement, and retention.

• Some students prefer social interactions in the online course room, others want to be left alone.

• Instructor presence balance is the key to successful facilitation!

Git ‘r done!

C’est Fini!

ReferencesConceiçāo, S. C. O. & Lehman, R. M. (2011). Creating a sense of

presence in online teaching: How to ‘be there’ for distance learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Drouin, M. A. (2008). The relationship between students’ perceived sense of community and satisfaction, achievement, and retention in an online course. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(3), 267-284. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Garrison, R (2003). Cognitive presence for effective asynchronous online learning: The role of reflective inquiry, self-direction and metacognition. In J. Bourne & C. J. Moore (Eds.), Elements of quality online education, practice and direction (pp. 47-53). Needham, MA: Sloan Center for Online Education.

References (Continued)Garrison, R. D., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a

text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105. doi:10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6

Lynch, M. M. (2003/2006). The online educator: A guide to creating the virtual classroom. New York, NY: Routledge Falmer.

Marchi, S. & Ciceri, E. (2011). Login and logout: Practices of resistance and presence in virtual environments as a kind of reflective learning activity, Reflective Practice, (12) 2, 209-223.Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2011.561533 DOI: 10.1080/14623943.2011.561533

Palloff, R.M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

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