The document discusses effective online teaching presence and class community. It provides background on frameworks for how people learn best, including when learning is learner-centered, assessment-centered, and builds a sense of community. It defines teaching presence as the design, facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. Teaching presence includes facilitating discourse, direct instruction, and instructional design. Research found high levels of teaching presence correlated with student satisfaction and learning. Class community includes a sense of connectedness and learning through interaction and shared expectations. Courses with effective teaching presence are more likely to develop strong class community and higher student satisfaction and learning.

1. Alexandra M. Pickett Assistant Director SUNY Learning Network Faculty Development & Learning Design 2001 Sloan-C Award for Excellence in ALN Faculty Development Understanding Online Teaching Presence

2. Introduction What makes an effective online learning environment? How do you and your students demonstrate “teaching presence” in your f2f classroom? How do you and your students cultivate a sense of class community in your f2f classroom?

3. Introduction This presentation will provide: Background and context for our theoretical model. An overview of “Teaching Presence.” An overview of “Class Community.” A discussion of Best Practices. Conclusion and implications for general online course and learning design. Introduction

4. Faculty Development: Consistent quality - effective practices. Large scale and unique vantage point. Opportunity to influence and share best practices across the design of all courses. Research. SLN student satisfaction surveys: the most significant contributing factor to student satisfaction and reported learning is student/teacher interaction. Second is student to student interaction. Background Background

5. Background The effective online course developer/instructor... Encourages student-faculty contact & interaction. Encourages student cooperation and reciprocity. Encourages active learning. Gives prompt feedback. Emphasizes time on task. Communicates high expectations. Respects diverse talents and ways of learning. Adapted from The Seven Principals of good Practice in Undergraduate Education - Chickering, and Gamson 1987. ! Principles of good practice in online Teaching and Learning Seven Principles...

6. Background Knowledge Centered – Outcomes oriented - knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for successful transfer. Learner Centered – Connect to the strengths, interests, and preconceptions of learners and help them learn about themselves as learners. Community Centered – Environment where students feel safe to ask questions, learn to work collaboratively, and are helped to develop lifelong learning skills. Assessment Centered – Provide multiple opportunities to make students’ thinking visible so they can receive feedback and be given a chance to revise. Bransford et al, 2000. ! People learn best in environments that are... How People Learn...

7. Background ! People learn best in environments that support... Critical inquiry in a text-based environment... Social Presence – “the ability of students to project themselves socially and affectively into a community of inquiry. ” Cognitive Presence – “the extent to which students are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained discourse in a community of inquiry. ” Teaching Presence – “the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the realization of personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes .” Garrison, Anderson, Rourke, and Archer, 2002.

8. Background ! People learn best in environments that are... How people learn - Bransford et al, 2000. An emerging framework... Community Assessment Centered Knowledge Centered Learner Centered

9. Background ! People learn best in environments that are and support... An emerging framework... How people learn - Bransford et al, 2000. Critical Inquiry in a Text-based Environment - Garrison, Anderson, Rourke, and Archer, 2002. Online Learning Community Teaching Presence Assessment-Centered Social Presence Knowledge -Centered Cognitive Presence Learner/learning-Centered Setting Climate Supporting Discourse/Interaction Selecting Content

10. Background ! Best Practices in effective online learning environment design An emerging framework... Encourage student-faculty contact and interaction. Encourage student cooperation and reciprocity. Encourage active learning. Give prompt feedback. Emphasize time on task. Communicate high expectations. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning. The Seven Principals of good Practice in Undergraduate Education - Chickering, and Gamson 1987. How people learn - Bransford et al, 2000 Critical Inquiry in a Text-based Environment - Garrison, Anderson, Rourke, and Archer, 2002. Online Learning Community Teaching Presence Assessment-Centered Social Presence Knowledge -Centered Cognitive Presence Learner/learning-Centered Setting Climate Supporting Discourse/Interaction Selecting Content

11. Teaching Presence Teaching Presence Facilitating Discourse Direct Instruction Instructional Design & Organization Effective Online Teaching Presence - the facilitation and direction of cognitive and social processes for the realization of personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes. Adapted from Anderson 2001.

12. . . . Identifying areas of agreement and disagreement. Seeking to reach consensus and understanding. Encouraging, acknowledging, and reinforcing student contributions. Setting the climate for learning. Drawing in participants, prompting discussion/interaction. Assessing the efficacy of the process. Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization

13. . . . Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization 73% of students expressed agreement that their instructors facilitated discourse effectively. 72% of student expressed agreement that their classmates facilitated discourse effectively. These percentages correlate directly to high levels of student satisfaction and reported learning.

14. . . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization Presenting content and questions. Focusing the discussion. Summarizing the discussion. Confirming understanding. Diagnosing misperceptions. Injecting knowledge from diverse sources. Responding to technical concerns. Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . .

15. . . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . . 76% of students expressed agreement that their instructors provided direct instruction effectively. 66% of student expressed agreement that their classmates provided direct instruction effectively. These percentages correlate directly to high levels of student satisfaction and reported learning.

16. . . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization Setting the curriculum. Designing methods. Establishing time parameters. Utilizing the medium effectively. Establishing netiquette. Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . .

17. . . . F acilitating Discourse D irect Instruction I nstructional Design & Organization Teaching Presence: from theory to practice. . . Overall, 85% of student respondents agreed that the indicators for this category were present in their courses. This percentage correlates directly to high levels of student satisfaction and reported learning.

18. Class Community Class Community Two components... Connectedness Learning Effective Online Class Community - A rich productive online teaching and learning milieu that engenders trust, spirit, connectedness, belonging, membership and support , and that results in faculty and students that report high levels of satisfaction and learning. Adapted from Rovai 2002, Wenger 1997, Scardamalia and Berieter, 1996.

19. . . . C onnectedness L earning Class Community: from theory to practice. . . Building social/group spirit. Establishing trust.

20. . . . Class Community: from theory to practice. . . Engaging in supportive contact and interaction. Sharing educational expectations. C onnectedness L earning

21. . . . Class Community: from theory to practice. . . Our research shows that there is a relationship between teaching presence and the development of community in online learning environments Courses characterized by effective teaching presence are more likely to develop a stronger sense of community on the part of the students = high levels of student satisfaction and reported learning. C onnectedness L earning

22. . . . Class Community: from theory to practice. . . C onnectedness L earning Create and provide ample opportunities for interaction. Create and use activities that build a sense of class community. Build/design activities that create a sense of connectedness between the students and the instructor. Create a learning environment that is engaging with supportive contact and interaction.

23. . . . Class Community: from theory to practice. . . C onnectedness L earning Online courses that are designed to promote a sense of class community, where there are ample opportunities for interaction and the social construction of knowledge, result in online teaching and learning communities of satisfied students and faculty.

24. What works? Conclusion To be an effective online instructor you will need to engage in behaviors that are likely to result in high levels of learning and student satisfaction. To achieve this goal you will need to design an online course environment that: Is learner/learning-centered, knowledge-centered, assessment-centered, and community-centered. Incorporates the seven principles of good practice in online teaching and learning. Provides high levels of “teaching presence.” Provides and fosters a strong and effective sense of online “class community.”

25. ? Any questions ? Any questions

26. Thank you! Thank you! Alexandra M. Pickett [email_address]