This document analyzes the distribution and modalities of teaching presence (TP) in asynchronous online discussion groups. The researchers coded discussion posts from two groups and identified different participants who took on TP roles. Some participants had whole or mixed management of TP across social, task, and meaning dimensions, while others focused on one dimension. Based on this, the researchers defined seven modalities of distributed TP, including roles like single management of one dimension versus mixed management of multiple dimensions. The distribution and modalities of TP are important to understand emerging versus scripted roles and how groups manage their processes to improve learning, but the study did not yet examine outcomes. A key teacher role is ensuring TP is distributed among participants in various forms.

1. MODALITIES OF
DISTRIBUTED TEACHING
PRESENCE IN
ASYNCHRONOUS
DISCUSSION GROUPS
http://www.psyed.edu.es/grintie
Bustos, Engel, Rochera, de
Gispert&Coll
UNIVERSITAT DE
BARCELONA

2. Theoretical background: Distributed
Teaching Presence (DTP)
 Teaching Presence (TP) is
dynamic and evolves in line
with the responsibility and
control that all the
participants in a community
can exercise (Garrison &
Anderson, 2003).
 The most significant aspect of
the notion of TP Is its potential
for distribution
 As a reinterpretation of the
concept of TP from both
theoretical and
methodological perspectives
(Shea, Li & Picket, 2006;
Morgan, 2011).
 Based on the assumption that
students' learning is mainly
related to the educational
influence of others (Coll,
Teaching Presence (CoI)
DTP from a socio-cultural
approach

3. Theoretical background: Modalities
of DTP
 All participants can
exercise TP in the three
constitutive dimensions
(Bustos 2011; Coll, Bustos& Engel,
2009; Engel, Coll&Bustos, 213):
 social participation,
 task, and
 shared meanings.
 Teaching presence may
take on different
modalities depending
on:
 the focus of
participants' activity:
 Who, how and when
each participant
contributes about each
dimension:
 reminders, requests,
reviews, questions,
contribution of
information, synthesis,
recaps, etc.

4. Aims of the study
 To analyze the contributions of participants to an
online forum in order to identify different
modalities in which teaching presence is exercised
inside the dimensions of the management of
social participation (MSP), management of the
academic task (MAT) and management of shared
meanings (MSM).

5.  Content analysis:
 To explore the focus and modalities of DTP,
transcripts of interactions between two groups of
postgraduate students in Educational Psychology and
their teachers (n = 23, n =16) were analyzed by two
independent coders
Methodology

6. Methodology
 The posts were coded following the 3 sequential levels
of analysis for each ofthedimensions (MSP, MAT &
MSM):
• Who contributes,
and how much?
1) the general results for
each dimension
• Who contributes,
how much, and
how?
2) the specific results of
certain categories for
each dimension • Who contributes,
how much and
how, over the
periods of
activity?
3) the contribution of
certain participants to
each dimension from a
temporal perspective

7. Results: Distribution of TP
 A total of 601 fragments were coded in Group 1 and 631
in Group 2 for the three dimensions: MSP, MAT and
MSM. (Cohen's kappa κ =.85 to .91)
 According to our first level of analysis (Who contributes and
how much?):
 We identified several participants as top contributors to
Teaching Presence: 15/23 in Group 1, and 11/16 in Group
2. (total of fragments coded per participant, in one or more
dimension, higher than average)

8. Results: Modalities of TP
 According to our second and third level of
analysis (Who contributes, how much, and how? &
over the periods of activity…):
 We identified several participants as relevant
contributors to Teaching Presence: (9/23 in Group
1, and 6/16 in Group 2). (their contributions included the
significant categories in one or more dimensions, and were more
or less constant throughout the all activity phases)

9. Results: Modalities of TP
Group 1 Group 2
Teacher, S8 -• MSP+MAT+MSM
Whole
management
Focus in all three
dimensions
• MSM+MAT
• MSM+MSP
• MSP+MAT
Mixed
management
Focus mainly in
two dimensions
• MSM
• MAT
• MSP
Single
management
Focus mainly in
one dimensions
- S13, S15
- S3
S18 Teacher
S10, S12,
S2
S6
S5 S11
S16, S19 -
Accordingly
to previous
results, 7
modalities
of
Distributed
Teaching
Presence
were
identified

10. Finals remarks and open
questions
 Distribution and modalities are main topics in order to
better understanding issues like emerging vs. scripting
roles (Strijbos; 2010).
 Both could be interpreted as mechanisms that enable
collaborative groups manage their processes in order to
improve learning outcomes. Our results do not yet provide
information about this issue.
 A main aspect of the teachers’ role should be to ensure of
TP distribution between participants and, therefore, the
emergence of various forms of TP.

11. MODALITIES OF
DISTRIBUTED TEACHING
PRESENCE IN
ASYNCHRONOUS
DISCUSSION GROUPS
http://www.psyed.edu.es/grintie
abustos@ub.edu
alfonso.bustos@gmail.com
UNIVERSITAT DE
BARCELONA