Walking in the Student and Instructor Footsteps

 

Central to our book is a model for how to be aware of, think about, and understand creating a sense of presence in the online environment, and a framework for designing online courses with a sense of presence. The activities for creating a sense of presence that create a sense of presence connect to the model and framework, along with approaches and questions for gathering information on how presence is “there” in an online course.

Framework for Designing Online Courses with a Sense of Presence

As you progress through our book, you’ll walk in the footsteps of Amanda, a newly enrolled learner in an online master’s program in adult education and Carlos, an instructor of twenty-seven years who has recently been asked to offer his communications courses online. On this walk, you’ll find out about:

• the role of presence in the online environment and the difference between presence and engagement. 
• ways in which presence can be experienced and how you can use our online learner model to help you better understand online learners.
• how to design your online course with a sense of presence and how to use our framework to guide you through the process.
• activities that create a sense of presence in your online course before the course begins,  during the course, and end of the course.
• tools for tracking the creation of presence.
• three in-depth case example scenarios with activities, activity tasks, how presence was experienced, and tools for tracking presence, along with a sample syllabus that incorporates a sense of presence. 

Remember, presence is about thinking, feeling, and behaving, and creating a sense of “being there” and “being together” with others online.

References

 

Conceição, S. C. O, Lehman, R. M. (2011). Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.