The answer is that it depends on the type of course. For example, instructor-student interaction in a correspondence course (think Khan Academy or DuoLingo) is limited, which works in that setting, but for students enrolled in distance education courses (through a University, for example), instructor presence is one of the most important pieces of making a “good” online course.
When designing an online course intended to replace a face-to-face class, it is helpful to remember that you are creating a distance education course, not simply a correspondence course. In other words, although an online course differs from that of a face-to-face course in terms of method of delivery, the content and faculty interaction should be very similar.
But according to Larry Ragan, director of instructional design and development for Penn State’s World Campus, mimicking face-to-face interactions is not realistic for most online courses, particularly those that run asynchronously. “In the face-to-face classroom, we don’t actually have to think too much about being present because we’re there—it’s a physical thing. In the online space there is no physicality. I’m not there physically. I don’t see people eye to eye. We may not even be in the same time zone. So how do I convey to the students that there is somebody who is participating, who is a leader in this educational experience?” Ragan says.The more that exchanges occurring within an online learning environment resemble those that occur in classrooms...the more that students will feel connected to their professors and classmates, and the more likely they will be to stay in a program.
– Steve Kolowich, The Human Element, 2010
Being there when you're not physically there
Because the online environment initially separates the instructor from students, instructors must make an extra effort to create a strong presence in their courses. Effective distance education supports increased engagement, participation, satisfaction, and learning. Implementation does require planning and dedication. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to build instructor presence. Some ideas are below.Participate in discussion forums
Think of discussion forums like you would do a group discussion in a traditional classroom. All the desks are in a circle with students facing each other. The instructor is also sitting at a desk in the circle. He/She asks the group a question, lets students respond and discuss, occasionally jumping in when a student makes an insightful/interesting/incorrect comment, if the discussion is slow to get started, or if things get off task. An online discussion forum should work the same way. This is true even when the discussion is being used to assess student understanding (i.e. being graded). You don’t necessarily need to respond to every student’s post, but it should be the majority. Make your replies meaningful by asking follow-up questions, adding relevant comments, or “playing the devil’s advocate” to help develop critical thinking skills.
Put a face to your name
Add a picture of you at the top of your course page. This may sound silly, but just think about it – in a traditional class, students see your face every time they come to class. Why shouldn’t students see your face every time they open up their online class?
Personalize feedback
Just like seeing your picture, hearing your voice will give students a feeling of connection. Experiment with providing feedback to students using a video, screencast, or audio recording. If you do provide text feedback, make sure it is specific to the particular student and substantive enough to show critical thinking on your part. All feedback should be timely, preferably within 1 week of submission.
Personalize content
Providing external content (e.g. journal articles, videos, podcasts) is good, but don’t forget to add you’re your own content. Students want to hear what their instructor thinks about the different topics, they want to hear personal anecdotes and commentary on the external content. Your content can be informal. Write like you might speak – using “I,” probably putting a preposition at the end of a sentence, using contractions, etc. (but still make sure it reads well with correct spelling and punctuation).
Give a weekly intro on your main course page
This doesn’t mean you are changing your entire course – just the section at the top. This helps indicate to students that there is actually an instructor who is leading the course (not just a computer automatically “unhiding” content 1 week at a time). This intro doesn’t need to be long – 1 or 2 sentences max. See below for an example.
Provide a weekly wrap-up
A weekly wrap-up helps replicate an often-missed aspect of face-to-face classes – the ability to summarize, synthesize, and correct students’ misconceptions. At the beginning of each week, post something to synthesize what you did last week. Point out common themes, correct any misconceptions, state when students can expect detailed feedback, and say briefly what’s coming next. The weekly wrap-up could be text or a video/audio recording. These wrap-ups should be informal, show the instructor’s personality, and be specific (for example, don’t be afraid to mention specific students by name – they’ll be much more likely to read it if it features them).
Final Thoughts
The final thing to remember is that students need to see evidence of instructor engagement. It’s not enough to log in and monitor a course regularly. You need to show that you are active in the course.Image Credits
- Featured Image: OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay via CC-0
- Icons: made by Smashicons from www.flaticon.com licensed by CC 3.0 BY
