Friday, September 30, 2022

7 Steps to Creating Presence in Online Courses – Step 3

 

The third step is LOOKING AT ONLINE LEARNING AS A HUMAN EXPERIENCE. Credit Marshall McLuhan with researching and discussing this as early as the 70s - see his Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Other researchers have built on this idea – John Short and colleagues who developed a concept of presence (in the 70s), Lani Gunawardena whose research emphasized engaging learners (in the 80s and 90s), Palloff and Pratt who more recently researched and wrote on creating community in cyberspace, Caspi and Blau who focused on online learners as partners, and Lehman and Conceição whose book in 2010 Creating a Sense of Presence: How to ‘Be There’ for Distance Learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass helps integrate and expand on the research. 

Reference 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass. 

 


Monday, September 19, 2022

7 Steps to Creating Presence in Online Courses - Step 2

 

Online teaching and learning should be an experience where presence is felt by both instructors and learners. How is presence created?

 

The second step is to UNDERSTAND THE NEW ENVIRONMENT. The chart above can help you understand how the Face-to-Face and the Virtual Online Worlds are different. With this chart you can begin to see how you need to change and adapt your teaching to reach across space in a very human way to your students. Next week - Step 3.

 

Reference

 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass. 

Monday, September 12, 2022

7 Steps to Creating Presence in Online Courses - Step 1

Online teaching and learning should be an experience where presence is felt by both instructors and learners. How is presence created?

1 - The first critical step is to WALK IN YOUR STUDENTS' SHOES - in other words take an online course or two. Unless you’ve been a student in an online course you have no idea what your students will be experiencing. Understanding the experience they will have is critical!!

 

Next week - Step 2.

 

Reference

 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass. 


Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Making Sense of Presence: Are You Here or There?

 

The basic difference between face-to-face teaching and learning and distance teaching and learning is the separation of the instructor from the learners and the learners from each other. This separation can cause feelings of isolation, frustration, and anxiety. A way to overcome these feelings in the online environment is through an awareness and understanding of a sense of presence that is followed by creating presence and community through course design. Often in our classes our learners have said that they feel as though they are not separated but are in the same room. Are they “here or there”? Often they really aren’t sure and that is amazing!

If you keep in mind that making sense of presence in the online environment is based not on what is actually taking place but rather on the way the course is designed and the way you and your learners think, feel, and behave, you will begin to truly “be there” and “be together” with others.

 

Reference

 

Lehman, R. M., & Conceição, S. C. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. Jossey-Bass.