" " As we consider the behaviors and strategies that contribute to developing a strong instructor presence online, we must also ponder the delicate balance required to maintain that presence and also give students room to learn?

"Reinforcing and modeling good discussant behaviors can be helpful to encourage courtesy and interaction" (Berge, 1995).

“Instructor involvement and engagement in online learning is crucial. Online learning requires instructors to
take on active roles in facilitating students’ learning. As well as peer support, instructor presence in supporting and guiding
students’ learning and engagement are important for enabling active learning” (Vonderwell & Turner, 2005, p.82).

As online facilitators, how do we negotiate the boundaries of your participation and your students' learning? That is, when is your presence valuable and when is better, as the facilitator, to take a step back? Online learning is couched within constructivist learning theory that stresses learning as an active process in which learners work together to build knowledge. In constructivist learning, environments must be designed to ensure students understand what is expected of them, how to complete their objectives, and how to know when the objectives have been mastered or not. The instructor plays the role of guiding the success of this process, without diluting the active learning experience for the student. This fragile negotiation is not one that can be outlined in a template form. Some even consider it an art! Yet, listening to experienced educators share their approaches is, again, a valuable opportunity to learn.

Teaching Presence in Online Learning: with Dr. Mark Kassel

This 10-minute video includes an interview with Dr. Mark Kassel, Director of Curriculum and Instructional Design at Robert Morris University, who provides insight about how to maintain one's instructor presence in an active learning environment, while giving students the room they need to work through problems on their own.

References

Berge, Z.L. (1995). Facilitating computer conferencing: Recommendations from the field. Educational Technology, 35(1), 22-30

Vonderwell, S. & Turner, S. (2005). Active learning and preservice teachers’ experiences in an online course: A case study. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 13(1), 65-84

Wilson, G., Stacey, K (2004). Online interaction impacts on learning: Teaching the teachers to teach online. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 20(1), 33-48

This work is by Teaching & Learning Innovations at CI and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.