By Laura J. McNeill
Are you wondering how to create a stronger sense of community in your online courses? Teaching presence — the way instructors design, facilitate and provide direct instruction — is a key factor in fostering student engagement and success. In “Teaching Presence in Online Courses: Similar Perceptions but Different Experiences From Multiple Instructor Perspectives,” Turk, Müftüoğlu and Toraman (2021) explore how teaching presence is demonstrated in diverse online learning contexts.
The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with eight course instructors teaching both undergraduate and graduate-level online courses at a midwestern U.S. college. Their findings reveal insights about how instructors perceive and implement teaching presence:
- All instructors viewed teaching presence as essential but applied its components in notably different ways based on their teaching contexts and pedagogical beliefs
- Instructors recognized the importance of being present in multiple forms — from course design before the course begins to active facilitation during the course
- Many instructors found creating community to be challenging, with some expressing a desire to learn better strategies for fostering connections among students
- Assessment approaches varied widely, ranging from traditional quizzes to innovative “un-grading” practices with iterative feedback loops
Quick Strategies to Implement
- Design with clarity and purpose — Clearly communicate course goals, topics, instructions and time parameters to provide structure for students
- Practice directed facilitation — Draw in participants, create an accepting climate for learning, identify areas of agreement/disagreement and reinforce student contributions
- Support community development — Start with introductions that require peer responses and intentionally create opportunities for meaningful interaction
- Establish feedback loops — Integrate feedback mechanisms throughout your course design, not just as a final assessment
- Be present in multiple ways — Remember that teaching presence begins in course design and extends through facilitation of discussions and direct instruction
The study emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching presence. What matters most is that instructors are intentional about their presence and adapt their strategies to fit their specific contexts and student needs. By understanding and applying principles of effective teaching presence, you can create more engaging, connected and effective online learning experiences for your students.
Reference: Turk, M., Müftüoğlu, A.C., Toraman, S., (2021). Teaching presence in online courses: Similar perceptions but different experiences from multiple instructor perspectives. Online Learning Journal, 25(4), 156-177. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i4.2885