Are you (really) there?
The Educationalist. By Alexandra Mihai
Welcome to this week’s issue of “The Educationalist”. So you've been teaching online for a while now (well, at least for the past nine months) but you are still worried you can't be present in the course with the same intensity as face-to-face? Presence in the online environment is not as straight forward a concept as it is in the traditional classroom. We can’t be as spontaneous and can’t rely on visual cues or body language. But there are many ways in which technology can enable us to guide our students and scaffold their progress through the course, even more effectively than in a face-to-face setting. We just need to be more intentional about it and put some effort in finding our own approach to being present for and with our students. I’ve put together some tips on teacher presence in the online space and I hope you find them useful. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!
The nature of the online environment makes teacher presence a crucial aspect. So the first step is to establish your presence. The easiest way is by creating short videos. They can play different roles such as: introduction to the course, short intro to each week/module or to an assignment, feedback, etc. Read more about various video styles here, here and here. Your videos don't need to look super professional, being authentic is more important and will be appreciated. Tell a story and take students on a journey through your course!
Communication plays a crucial role in teaching online. You are present through your announcements, the guidance you provide (sometimes openly, other times more discreetly) - but always a reliable presence. Design a communication strategy and stick to it to manage students' expectations. In the case of active learning, too detailed instructions may go against the very idea of your activity, but think twice before dismissing this - ultimately what you want is to ensure the success of your students.
Thoughtful time and workload management. By estimating time on task for students when designing the course, you set the rhythm of the learning process and you show students you care. You can find some ideas and resources on this topic here.
Being present also means playing a role in each activity you design. Even if you are a fan of active learning, clear instructions are important and timely feedback hugely enhances the learning process. You can read more about the different types of presence in the Community of Inquiry framework. Ask yourself where in the course you can bring most added value, and be there!
Be open to different scenarios. Try to be flexible. Every student is different and every situation needs an adequate response. Ask for feedback often, listen and act on it. When it comes to flexibility, technology can actually be your friend. Use the various tools the online environment offers to provide structure and constant support: create collaboration spaces, provide clear activity instructions and templates (when applicable) but also be ready for spontaneous interaction.
Make things accessible. Keep your students in mind at all times: open various channels for interaction, make materials available in different formats. Your students will surely notice your “touch” and thank you for it! You can find more resources on humanising the online learning experience here and here.
Being present online is not equivalent to unlimited availability. It also does not have to be (all) synchronous. It's the small touches that count most. Find an approach that suits you and make sure to bring students along, as co-creators of their learning space. You get to decide what kind of presence you will have in the course and that is no easy task. My advice: go for gentle, non-intrusive, ready to help.
Yes, it all sounds time-consuming. And first time you do it it probably is. But it is worth the effort. What you are working on is becoming a thoughtful, caring educator, ready to be there for your students regardless of the space, online and offline. It's all about finding a balance and nurturing a learning space where students feel free to express themselves creatively, collaborate in different settings, fail safely and never stop being curious. Sometimes this means you need to step back. Other times it means you need to step forward.
