6 hrs. average time, 3 readings, 1 activity
Many of us know the benefits of an instructor's physical presence in face-to-face courses, but what does presence look like in an online class? What strategies should online instructors use? In this module, you'll be introduced to strategies for being present in your online course. And, we'll also review tools that you can use to develop digital presence.
Presence is naturally created in the face-to-face classroom, but instructors must make an effort to design online courses with the concept of presence in mind. Learners need to perceive something tangible, which may include the type of technology used for the course, the instructional strategies chosen by the instructor, and the role of the instructor.
Research has shown that online students who make a personal connection with their instructor are more likely to persist and succeed (Jones, Kolloff & Kolloff, 2008). This means students need to see their instructors as "real people" in the online environment. Some ways to present yourself as a "real person" is by posting a picture and/or video of yourself, sharing a story about you that isn't academic-focused, and interacting with your students throughout the entirety of the course. Socially connecting with students works to combat isolation, which is often felt by online learners (Lehman & Simone, 2010). We encourage online faculty to use multiple means to increase instructor presence in the “online classroom” and connect with their course daily.
One way to create presence without consuming too much of your time is to build group discussion areas, which allow you to respond to a group of students rather than each student's response. Consider looking at your role as that of the coordinator of a cooperative: give initial directions and guidance, but also constantly pop in to give kudos for good student postings, suggestions to help their learning, and applause for discussion or team postings that developed into long threads from one initial student’s thoughts. Another idea is to develop time-released course announcements that remind learners of due dates and add audio-recordings containing additional content. These options are a few of many different ways to let your learners know you are there, while also allowing you to conserve your time. Video and/or audio mini-lectures made on a laptop or even smart phones can also create positive presence and energy for your students.
Liberal use of communication tools frequently communicate to learners that you, as the instructor, care about their learning, questions and concerns. When creating presence in your course, consider consistently using the below tools.
There are many different teaching strategies online instructors can utilize to "be present" for students in online courses. Here are several strategies to consider in your online course, coupled with the above tools (Creasman, 2015; Kolowich, 2010; Morrison, 2012):
BEING DIGITALLY PRESENT [PDF]
INSTRUCTOR PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSES [PDF]
STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE PRESENCE [video]
