DAY 3: Teaching Presence

1. DAY 3: Overview

2. What is Teaching and Social Presence?

3. Teaching and Social Presence in an Online Course

4. Strategies for Creating Teaching Presence

5. Strategies for Creating Teaching Presence in Synchronous Teaching

6. DAY 3: Discussion Activity

7. Synchronous Session 1

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DAY 3: Overview

On Day 3, we will be interacting in our first synchronous session. We would encourage you to come to the session with your reflections about synchronous/asynchronous balance and your approach to teaching presence, which be the focus of Day 3, as outlined below.

Today we will be focusing on helping define your teaching presence. Teaching presence can indeed play an important role and positively impact student online learning, and it is one of the key areas that faculty members have expressed feel uneasy about in the shift to online learning. By definition:  

Teaching Presence is the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001).

Guiding question (yellow background)

Readings & Resources

Course Readings

We have curated a small number of informative readings and resources.

• Pearson. Teaching Presence, Higher Education Services. White Paper: Available at: https://www.pearsoned.com/wp-content/uploads/INSTR6230_TeachingPresence_WP_f.pdf
• Sepp, S. (2020). Transitioning to Teaching Online: Presence (9:28 min). Video available at: https://youtu.be/84vbvYJn9iQ

Going Further with The Online Teaching Program

• OTP Module 6 Teaching in an online classroom: This module includes practical tips and resources to help you succeed in teaching your course online.

Discussion Activity (15 minutes)

On Day 3, you will reflect on and share your philosophy of teaching presence in an online blended learning environment here.   You will also have a chance to choose one strategy for developing a teaching presence with your students, and build it out (e.g. Welcome page on Canvas, introductory video; syllabus component).

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What is Teaching and Social Presence?

What do we mean by presence?

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Teaching and Social Presence in an Online Course

An Introduction To Presences in an Online Course

Teaching presence includes both the planning and forethought that go into building your course and what you do “in the moment” when interacting with your students. The parts of teaching presence that occur while the course is in session include facilitation of discourse and direct instruction.

Direct instruction is the more straightforward of the two and would include pre-developed presentations, assessing student work and providing instructive feedback, diagnosing misconceptions, clarifying concepts, and referring students to additional resources or practice opportunities.

Facilitating discourse is more than simply requiring students to post to a discussion and reply to others.  It involves regularly reading and providing feedback on student postings, encouraging participation, moving the discussion forward when it stalls or gets off track, identifying and drawing out areas of agreement and disagreement, pointing out linkages, and helping students articulate shared understandings. Immediacy behaviors can be helpful when facilitating discourse.  Things like referring to students by name, encouraging student-student conversation, sharing personal examples from your own research, travel, or conversations with other faculty contribute to both social and teaching presence.

It is important to stay present throughout the course – not just at the beginning of the semester. Maintaining continual instructor presence during the course, particularly during natural activity lulls, keeps students motivated and engaged. Students need the structure and leadership of your active teaching presence to move from surface learning to a deeper level of engaged learning.  This can take the form of:

• defining clear expectations for student work and interactions,
• selecting and sequencing manageable sections of content, 
• facilitating discourse with engaging questions and challenges to test understanding, as well as by modeling appropriate contributions to the discussion,
• structuring both collaborative and individual activities that are aligned with desired learning outcomes, and
• assessing learning at a deeper, more complex level and providing feedback on learning processes.
  

  Feedback as an Example of Teaching Presence

  Giving feedback on assignments is a critical part of the direct instruction component of teaching presence.  It provides a natural opportunity for one-to-one teaching presence while supporting student learning. Getzlaf, et al (2009) describe effective feedback as

  • a mutual process involving both student and instructor
  • providing constructive guidance that builds confidence
  • guiding through explicit expectations and ongoing coaching
  • meeting mutually established timelines
  • being applicable to future situations

  In an online course it is important for students to get frequent feedback on how they are doing. Are they learning what they are supposed to be learning? Are they achieving the learning outcomes? The most effective way to ensure that students get the feedback they need to stay on track is through a comprehensive, balanced assessment strategy that includes both formative and summative assessments. You can even have students provide peer feedback if you supervise it well.

  There are several ways to provide feedback in Canvas: individual written, audio, or video feedback through Speed Grader or via an Inbox message; group feedback in the group space via a group announcement or discussion forum; and aggregated class feedback via whole class announcements or discussion forums.

  However you choose to provide feedback, it is important that the feedback be provided in a timely manner and that it include specific suggestions for improvement. For more information on providing good feedback see 7 Keys to Effective Feedback

   

  Being Present from the Beginning: Introducing yourself to your class

  While being present throughout the course is critical, starting as you mean to go on is also important.  Providing a personal video introduction at the start of the course allows students to see you as a human being which can mitigate the anonymity of text-based conversation and encourage human connections.

  One of the first things you normally do in your class is introduce yourself.  In an online class, introductions are even more important as they are one of the first points of contact with you as an instructor and likely the first one where they see you visually. Video introductions help your students feel more connected to you and lets them know there is a real, live faculty member behind the course. They support teaching presence, which is essential to online success. Research on video introductions  indicates that they can improve student engagement at the beginning of the course and encourage positive student perceptions of you as the instructor.

  By beginning the semester by personally introducing yourself and sharing your background, expertise, and interests in a welcoming manner, you can show your students that you are approachable and interested in their learning. Creating a basic introduction video is also a great way to start thinking about using video and audio more generally, which diversifies the methods of communication and information delivery in your course. Simple webcam recordings are fine as long as you make sure your lighting and audio are good.  

  Cognitive presence is central to successful student learning. The quality of cognitive presence reflects the quality and quantity of critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and construction of meaning occurring in student↔student and student↔faculty interactions. You can model and support cognitive presence in your interactions with students in discussions, assignment feedback, and other communications.

  Cognitive presence is based on the iterative relationship between personal understanding and shared dialogue. Building on the work of John Dewey, Garrison proposed the Practical Inquiry Model shown here.  This model integrates these two aspects in a cycle beginning with a question or puzzle – called a triggering event – or just a general awareness that something isn’t making sense. The learner then explores the available information and alternatives to make sense of the problem and connects this new information to previously learned concepts. Finally, the learner takes action to solve the problem or answer the question based on their newly integrated understanding.

  The overlap between cognitive presence and teaching presence, labeled “Regulating Learning” in the Community of Inquiry diagram on the first page or this module, focuses on the co-regulation of learning and metacognition by both the instructor and the students.  Paz and Pereira (2015) found several categories within Regulating Learning including:

  • Confirming understanding of tasks
  • Assessing learning strategies and work processes and/or proposing corrections to those processes
  • Reminding others of tasks and encouraging them to focus on or contribute to tasks, resources, and activities
  • Helping with tasks, processes, or products of learning
  • Managing the movement through learning phases or tasks

  Students also exhibit some of these aspects as self-regulation and as co-regulation in groups.  

  Depending on the course and the instructor, the amount of learning regulation will vary.  More self-directed graduate students will need less co-regulation than first year undergraduate students. For example, effectively moderating online discussion is an important strategy for supporting cognitive presence. Moderating and modeling the way in which a beginner in the field should be thinking through a question, problem, or case may occur more often in undergraduate classes as the students begin to learn how to learn in the field.  It is important to realize that simply interacting with others or with the content does not automatically translate into critical discourse or the integration of ideas into meaningful constructs (Garrison Cleveland-Innes, 2005). 

   

  Social Presence

  Social presence is important especially at the beginning of the semester when students are getting to know and trust both you and one another. If students can make interpersonal connections with others, they are more likely to engage with the course and the content. Indicators of Social Presence include

  • Affective responses such as expressing emotion and using humor
  • Interactive responses such as continuing a discussion thread, referring to other students in a message or post, asking questions, and expressing agreement or appreciations
  • Cohesive responses such as using other students’ names, using inclusive pronouns to refer to their group or class, and engaging in small talk

  The overlap of social and teaching presence, labeled as “Setting Climate” in the Community of Inquiry diagram, includes critical aspects of building a positive learning environment. 

  Parker and Harrington’s (2015) research indicates four main aspects.

  • Creating a usable learning environment
  • Building positive rapport by using open, friendly communication, being approachable, and showing respect, courtesy, and patience
  • Engendering a sense of belonging by addressing students by name, encouraging participation, and publicly or privately recognizing progress and achievement
  • Promoting a sense of purpose by regularly monitoring student performance, providing constructive and timely feedback, and clearly articulating course goals, 

  Students also exhibit some of these aspects when working in groups. Behaviors such as monitoring each other’s progress and holding each other accountable for work quality and deadlines in groups sets the climate for their group.  Effective group work also hinges on trust and comfort level with other students so building positive rapport and a sense of belonging is vital to setting group norms and participating in efficient collaboration.

  In an online class, it is difficult but not impossible for students to get to know each other and you on a more personal level. Providing a space for students to introduce themselves to the class – preferably with video – is a good start to help students see each other as a “real people” and not just a name on a screen. Students can embed videos of themselves into Canvas Discussions.

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Strategies for Creating Teaching Presence

The White Paper about teaching presence  includes some specific approaches to creating teaching presence in online courses. This list focuses on both synchronous and asynchronous approaches. Read through the list and consider the approaches for design facilitation and direct instruction.  How many of these strategies are you currently using in your online course?  Which of these strategies would be appropriate/valuable for your current teaching? What is missing from this list?

Course Design

• Provide clear course learning goals. 
• Share a course overview and welcome message 
• Hold initial face-to-face or synchronous meeting to introduce teacher and course.
•  Ensure instructions for completing course activities and using required technology are clear. 
• Set expectations for student participation and activity in the course.
• Communicate assignment deadlines and give frequent reminders as deadlines approach. 
• Provide engaging, relevant, and appropriate active learning opportunities.
• Design assessments that are congruent with learning goals. 
•  Communicate expectations for teacher participation (e.g., extent of teacher involvement in class discussions and email response times). 
• Present content in a conversational rather than academic style.

Facilitation

• Begin course with a trust building conversation (e.g., introductions and icebreakers). 
• Provide clear discussion participation requirements (length, content expectations, netiquette, and timeliness). 
• Foster fruitful discussions through engaging/open-ended questions. 
• Challenge and test student ideas (ask for justification/ rationale). 
• Monitor discussion to ensure productive dialogue and shape direction as necessary.
•  Model appropriate contributions. 
• Focus on student creating meaning and confirming understanding. 
• Encourage “thinking out loud” and openness for all ideas. 
•  Identify areas of agreement/ disagreement. 
• Reinforce and encourage participation (draw in less active participants and temper more active posters). 
• Find consensus/agreement; summarize class discussions 
• Share personal meaning/ experiences.

Direct Instruction

• Offer specific ideas/share expert and scholarly knowledge. 
• Help students correct misconceptions/diagnose understanding. 
• Suggest new resources/ content; inject knowledge from outside resources. 
• Connect ideas (analogies, related topics) and make abstract concepts concrete. 
• Provide personal anecdotes and commentary on the teacher’s own efforts to master material. 
•  Provide frequent feedback and evaluation guidance (particularly explanatory feedback—expansion of ideas/ different explanation). 
• Present content in an effective and focused manner.
• Raise questions that lead to reflection and cognitive dissonance. 
• Scaffold student understanding as necessary.
•  Annotate/comment on assigned scholarly work to personalize and add interest.

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Strategies for Creating Teaching Presence in Synchronous Teaching

In addition to considering the role of teaching presence in asynchronous and synchronous course design and facilitation, there are some strategies specific to synchronous teaching.  When teaching in real-time we have a unique opportunity to inspire, and connect with our students. However, in order to take advantage of this space we need to be intentional about how we set up and facilitate the environment. The following strategies for creating a sense of presence in synchronous sessions is based on the strategies proposed by Finkelstein 2006, Lowenthal 2020, McDaniels et all 2016. 

Creating Teacher Presence in Synchronous Session

• Build in Interaction to help create a sense of community and connection: Use polls, whiteboard annotation activities to create connection in your teaching
• Specify and Maintain Focus:   State what method learners should be using to participate a particular time. This method can change throughout a given learning activity, for example, use a whiteboard to share ideas and then use a text area for discussion but a facilitator should be explicit about where the attention should be at any given point.
• Use Virtual Body Language:  Create a sense of presence in synchronous sessions by using emoticons, polls, and other non-verbal cues.  Ways of doing this include:  Elicit emoticons from learners,Use emotions reflexively when listening,;Use polls as proxies for body language similar to raising hand,;Employ Online Cue to Judge Learners State of Mind, how often do learners respond, do they respond to certain cues?
• Model: The type and level of interaction that supports student engagement during live sessions
• Make Everyone Feel Included: Try to recognize and solicit contributions from as many learners as possible
• Focus participants on different areas of the interface i.e textual comments, poll results e.g. Let’s turn all our attention to the text chat area,“ I am going to turn off the audio and video for a few minutes, Please respond to questions in the chat.”
• Be transparent with students as to your reasons for including live sessions in your online courses.
• Establish Collections between and among Participants and Students: Start each live session with a brief ice-breaker and/or get-to-know-you activity to help establish and to get warmed up with the technology before launching into more coursework-oriented activities.

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DAY 3: Discussion Activity

Many educators worry that their teaching presence will be diminished through online delivery and especially through asynchronous online teaching. Having gone through the resources from today that focus on teaching presence, complete the following tasks for your own course:

1. Reflection on your teaching presence: Reflect on and write out answers to the following questions:

1. 1. What is one strategy you will use to build and maintain a teaching presence with synchronous components of your course?
   2. What is one strategy you will use to build and maintain a teaching presence with asynchronous components of your course?
   3. What is your philosophy pertaining to teaching presence that you aim to espouse during your course? (Hint: this may be important background information that you wish to share with your students up front before they begin your course).
2. Communication with Students: Choose one strategy for developing a teaching presence with your students, and build it out (e.g. Welcome page on Canvas, introductory video; syllabus component). For example, you may wish to film a short introductory video clip where you introduce yourself, welcome students, and share your teaching philosophy and plans for staying connected with them throughout the course.
3. Keep track: Jot down a few notes about the changes and additions you’ve made on Day 2. You may wish to draw on this for your
   small group presentation
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   /shareback on Day 5. 

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Synchronous Session 1

Session 1: Balancing Asynchronous and Synchronous Teaching

Time/Date: Wed, May 13, 10:00 – 11:30 am

Location: Zoom Room https://ubc.zoom.us/j/91938087710

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