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5.1. Instructor Presence
Instructor Presence
An important component of any online course is instructor or teaching presence. Students need to feel like you, as the instructor, are active and engaged in the course. Creating a sense of instructor presence has been shown to encourage increased student engagement. Here are some tips to help you create a sense of teaching presence in your course.
- Include recorded welcome videos, module overviews, lectures, and experiments.
- Post a photo of yourself on your Instructor Information or Instructor Welcome pages.
- Provide substantive feedback on assignments.
- Engage students in conversations outside of the regular discussion boards. You might have a "water cooler" or "Ask the Instructor" discussion space for additional conversation.
- Send regular announcements or messages with course updates and reminders. You might send one at the beginning of each module to introduce the new content and activities and one at the end of each module to recap what was discussed and covered.
- Share current news stories, internet resources, or anecdotes that relate to course content and learning goals. This helps students to make connections between what they're learning and real-world examples.
- Make sure you update your instructor information page. Consider adding additional information to help students get to know you better.
- Grade and return assignments as quickly as possible. TN eCampus policy is that all assignments must be graded within two weeks.
- Return email and phone messages promptly. TN eCampus policy is that you should respond within 48 hours.
- Consider scheduling regular virtual office hours. Students might contact you via phone, email, or text message, or you can video conference for a more personal exchange.
- Participate actively in discussion boards.
Online instructor and e-learning researcher, Dr. Curt Bonk, provides more tips for building a sense of instructor presence and adding your voice to the course in his video, "Building Instructor and Social Presence" (new window).
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