Instructor Presence in Online Courses

Summary

Consistent and meaningful instructor presence is one of the most important drivers of student success and satisfaction in online courses (Roddy et al., 2017). However, establishing instructor presence online can be challenging. In fact, studies have shown that many online students feel their instructors are largely invisible (Tichavsky et al., 2015). In light of this reality, instructors can positively impact the student experience online by establishing a strong presence and consistent student–instructor interaction in their online courses.

Purpose

Because of the unique nature of online education, students are expected to be autonomous self-directors while instructors may take a more “hands-off” role. While student autonomy is necessary in the online course space, students should not be expected to completely direct their own learning.

Moreover, Savery (2005) has shown that many of the social cues which are easily conveyed in a classroom setting, e.g., speech and actions, are difficult to convey in a web-based environment. It also tends to be more challenging to develop a shared learning experience since participants log in at different times. Research conducted by Rovai & Wighting (2005), and Arbaugh (2000), identified that online students who had limited social interactions with their peers and instructors felt a sense of isolation and dissatisfaction, and these reasons became the primary reason for their withdrawal in a class.

Therefore, instructors must establish a presence that both guides students through course content and fosters healthy student self-direction.

The invisible instructor

A meaningful education consists of more than just content. The instructor’s presence, guidance, and instruction are valuable aspects of the student experience. However, direct interaction, instruction, and guidance from instructor to student seemingly exist more naturally in a face-to-face context and can be difficult to translate to the online space. The instructor’s physical and vocal presence is considered by many students to be a missing piece in online courses. In fact, studies show that many students in online courses perceive their instructors as invisible, or even as inhuman (Tichavsky et al., 2015). This perception is certainly the result of a lack of instructor presence in online courses with largely static, reading-heavy content. To mitigate these issues, we recommend building courses that are dynamic and engaging with diverse presentation formats.

Students value the energy and enthusiasm instructors naturally bring to face-to-face lessons (Tichavsky et al., 2015). In person, instructors are easily able to communicate their expertise in the course concepts and their enthusiasm for the subject matter, which can influence how students react to the content. Students also value the extrinsic motivation to succeed that instructors communicate in class through repeated reminders of due dates, verbal emphasis of key points and concepts, and general encouragement through direct interaction with students (Tichavsky et al., 2015; Kuzma et al., 2015).

Online instructors can emulate these forms of instruction and interaction that are so valuable to students in traditional on-ground classrooms. While it is not possible to have a physical presence online, instructors can consider employing these strategies:

• Implement synchronous webcam sessions for seminars and class discussions
• Hold individual conferences with students
• Record lecture videos and provide feedback on assignments in audio form
• Participate in asynchronous discussion forums by responding to posts, guiding the discussion, and answering questions.

Overall, a major theme across the literature is the quality of the instructor’s presence, as well as the intent behind building it. Simply being present in the online space is not enough to improve student experience and develop an environment of guidance and mentorship. Rather, instructor presence and student–instructor interactions “must have a clear purpose and facilitate content delivery” (Jaggars & Xu, 2016, p. 273). In other words, instructors attempting to build their presence and increase student–instructor interactions should consider emulating the value that they naturally bring to their on-ground courses. Instructors online can still communicate their energy and enthusiasm for course content to inspire their students, deliver extrinsic motivation to encourage their students to succeed, and instruct and guide their students through difficult course concepts in a virtual course space.

The question of student autonomy

Instructor presence online positively impacts the student experience, but it is also necessary in order to foster student autonomy and self-direction in online courses. According to Michael G. Moore, widely known for his contributions to the study of distance education, online instructors and students are separated by “transactional distance,” which is defined as “the universe of teacher-learner relationships that exist when learners and instructors are separated by space [and/or] by time” (Moore, 1997, p. 22). In other words, spatial and temporal distance also creates a distance between “transactions,” or the direct interactions between instructors and students. For example, in asynchronous online courses, instructors do not lecture directly to students, facilitate discussions, address student questions in real time, or scan the room to confirm student comprehension, which causes transactional distance in online courses to be high (this, of course, depends on the nature of any given online course—some courses incorporate synchronous elements in which these examples may not apply). According to Moore’s transactional distance theory, as transactional distance increases, so must student autonomy. In general, student autonomy is necessary in online courses; students are expected to move through course pages and ingest lecture content on their own, without the physical presence of an instructor at the front of a classroom. But student autonomy is not only necessary online: it is important and useful. Learners in online classes need to develop self-direction, self-management, and metacognition in order to succeed in this non-traditional educational setting (Delgaty, 2018).

While student autonomy is necessary and inevitable according to the theory of transactional distance, online instructors must play a role in managing levels of autonomy and self-direction. Establishing a strong instructor presence can help to do so. It is important to recognize the diversity of student abilities and levels of autonomy. Some students will thrive in an online learning environment with little student–instructor interaction, but students who are less autonomous may struggle to succeed in a course with sparse instructor presence (Moore, 1997; Jaggars & Xu, 2016). Because instruction and guidance as well as student autonomy and self-direction play a role in student success, instructors should neither hold students’ hands throughout the learning process nor leave them unattended. The key is to strike a balance. Instructors can build a structured course with a clear learning path for highly autonomous students, but with a strong instructor presence for those students who are less autonomous (Moore, 1997). Including synchronous elements is a straightforward way to achieve this balance; weekly synchronous sessions or periodic one-on-ones with students can allow instructors to emulate those elements of on-ground classes that students value. In synchronous group sessions, instructors can communicate their enthusiasm and deliver extrinsic motivation face-to-face, and synchronous one-on-ones can provide students some personal time with their instructors. Including synchronous sessions is not always possible, relevant, or advisable, so this approach should be considered on a case-by-case basis. There are, however, other ways to create a balance between autonomy and instructor direction asynchronously. Creative strategies can enable instructors to “be there” for students who need more guidance and instruction as they move through the online course space. Overall, when strategically implemented, increasing instructor presence online can satisfy two conditions for student success: reducing transactional distance and fostering student self-direction and metacognition.

Try This

The following strategies can help establish instructor presence in online courses.

• Record and post instructor-led lecture videos to emulate the experience of face-to-face lectures. Online lecture videos should be brief. Hour-long lectures in person might work, but lengthy online videos can bog students down.
• Instructors should introduce themselves and allow students to do the same, similar to introductory activities that take place on the first day of an on-ground class. Instructors should also update their “Meet the Faculty” page in addition to an introductory forum.
• Instructors can benefit greatly by utilizing announcements to maintain a more frequent presence during the course and to convey important information to the whole class (Mitchell-Holder, 2016).
• Provide audio or video feedback on student assignments, rather than relying solely written feedback. Feedback allows students to develop a meaningful relationship with their instructor, the content and their deliverables (Mitchell-Holder, 2016).
• Inject personality into course content.
  • Share professional contributions to the field or industry to establish trust and credibility.
  • Relate professional anecdotes or experiences to create real-world connections for students.
  • Give personal advice on approaching the content, studying, and choosing future courses.
• Establish a presence on student discussion boards.
  • Address questions or misconceptions.
  • Encourage deeper critical thinking—ask further questions, offer a different perspective, or introduce a supplemental resource.
  • Summarize the discussion—a simple summary at the conclusion of a discussion can reveal the instructor’s presence and remind students that their voices are being heard.
• If possible or relevant, consider synchronous meetings with students.
  • Plan weekly synchronous class sessions or seminars.
    • Record the sessions for students who are unable to attend.
  • Establish virtual office hours.
  • Schedule one-on-one conferences to deliver feedback on major assignments.
• Utilize Canvas tools such as callout boxes, polls, and surveys
  • Callout boxes highlight important pieces of content on a lecture page. This could be something students should think more deeply about or an interesting fact to share.
  • In a traditional classroom, instructors can gauge students’ understanding of concepts through verbal or nonverbal communication. In an online setting, instructors can include polls or surveys to collect real-time data and respond to student needs.

References

Arbaugh, J. B. (2000). How classroom environment and student engagement affect learning in Internet-based MBA courses. Business Communication Quarterly, 63(4), 9-26.

Delgaty, L. (2018, November 5). Transactional distance theory: A critical view of the theoretical and pedagogical underpinnings of e-learning. In D. Cvetković (Ed.), Interactive multimedia: Multimedia production and digital storytelling. IntechOpen.

Jaggars, S. S., Xu, D. (2016). How do online course design features influence student performance? Computers & Education 95, 270-284.

Kuzma, A., Kuzma, J., & Thiewes, H. (2015). Business student attitudes, experience, and satisfaction with online courses. American Journal of Business Education, 8(2), 121-130.

Mitchell-Holder, S. (2016). Let’s talk: Effectively communicating with your online students. In Kilgore, W. Humanizing online Teaching and learning. Creative Commons.

Moore, M. (1997). Theory of transactional distance. In D. Keegan (Ed.), Theoretical principles of distance education (pp. 22-38). Routledge.

Roddy, C., Amiet, D. L., Chung, J., Holt, C., Shaw, L., McKenzie, S., Garivaldis, F., Lodge, J. M., & Mundy, M. E. (2017). Applying best practice online learning, teaching, and support to intensive online environments: An integrative review. Frontiers in Education, 2(59), 1-10.

Rovai, A. P., & Wighting M. J. (2005). Feelings of alienation and community among higher education students in a virtual classroom. The Internet and Higher Education, 8(2), 97-110.

Savery, J.R. (2005). BE VOCAL: Characteristics of successful online instructors. Journal of Interactive Learning, 4(2), pp. 141-152.

Tichavsky, L. P., Hunt, A. N., Driscoll, A., & Jicha, K. (2015, July). “It’s just nice having a real teacher”: Student perceptions of online versus face-to-face instruction. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning 9(2), 1-8.