Creating Online Perceptual Presence

One question that is commonly asked by online instructors is "how can I create presence when I'm actually separated from my learners?" We believe that creating presence is based on creating a "perception" of presence. Online presence isn't actual but rather perceptual. To help better visualize perceptual presence we have created "The Being There for the Online Learner Model" (Lehman & Conceição, 2010) that we then embed in a design framework. First, let’s look at the model. 

 

Think of the model as a cylinder containing three cylinders. We’re going to build the cylinder from the core to the outside.

 

1. Starting with the core cylinder – the learner and the learner’s perceptual process (the Who) which includes the dynamic interplay of thought, emotion, and behavior. The dark line at the edge of the cylinder represents the interface of the learner’s inner world with the concrete world.

2. The second cylinder corresponds to the types of learner experiences (the What) that learners are involved with:

a.  objective – psychological and physical (students have reported to us that there are times when they actually felt that the technology disappeared and that we were all in the same room);

b.  subjective – personal and psychological (communicating on Skype and during electronic office hours).

c.  social (working in groups or teams or using social networks).

d.  environmental (having easy access through technology and being able to add to or change the distance learning environment); or a combination of more than one of these.

3.  The third cylinder illustrates the modes of presence (the How) that can be created for the learner –

a.  realism (matching activities to activities that will be used in the learner's physical world).

b.  involvement (involving learners in the wide variety of discussions and activities that can be created online).

c.  immersion (using immersive software and activities like Second Life).

d.  suspension of disbelief (suspending our belief concerning the implausibility of a book, movie, so on). Note the blurred line between the two types of experience and modes of presence - these two cylinders blend into each other and occur in combination with each other.)

4.  The outer cylinder, (the Where) again rimmed by a darker line, is the physical world as the learner connects to the online environment. 

 

The Being There for the Online Learner Model is an integral part of our "Framework for Creating a Sense of Presence." We'll focus on the framework in our next week's posting.

 

Reference

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

Strategies for Finding Balance and Success – TIME-ALLOCATION

In our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011), we suggest four strategies that are based on four major themes that emerged from an instructor/learner study we conducted: 

 

1.    design strategies

2.    support strategies

3.    teaching strategies

4.    time-allocation strategies

 

These strategies can guide and help online instructors determine how to manage their workload and prioritize their time so that they can find balance and success in their work and personal life. This week we’re looking at the fourth strategy – TIME-ALLOCATION.

4. TIME-ALLOCATION – Although teaching online can give instructors more flexibility in terms of where and when they can work, it can also be a snare, unless instructors allocate their time strategically. Often, online instructors think that they must be “always there” for their learners. This extreme behavior can take over instructors’ work responsibilities and their personal lives. This is a common struggle that instructors experience. Through time-allocation, they can gain control over their time, rather than having time control them. 

Design, support, teaching, and time-allocation strategies are valuable to use if you, as an instructor, are looking for balance and success in online teaching. 

 

References

 

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

Strategies for Finding Balance and Success – TEACHING

 

Our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011), suggests four strategies that are based on four major themes that emerged from an instructor/learner study we conducted: 

1. design strategies, 

2. support strategies, 

3. teaching strategies, and 

4. time-allocation strategies

These strategies can guide and help online instructors determine how to manage their workload and prioritize their time so that they can find balance and success in their work and personal life. This week we’re looking at the third strategy – TEACHING.

3. TEACHING – The strategies instructors use in their online teaching comprise a major part of their workload. These teaching strategies serve as the plan of action for delivering the online course. Instructors carry out tasks during and at the end of the course to meet their teaching goals. These tasks are related to administrative, facilitative, and evaluative responsibilities. In Chapter 3 of our book, we explain how the administrative, facilitative, and evaluative tasks affect instructor workload and address approaches to carry out these tasks more efficiently and effectively to balance workload. 

 

Finally next week: 4. TIME-ALLOCATION STRATEGIES

 

References

 

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

Strategies for Finding Balance and Success – SUPPORT

 

As we noted in our last posting, in our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011), four strategies based on four major themes emerged from an instructor/learner study we conducted: 1. design strategies, 2. support strategies, 3. teaching strategies, and 4. time-allocation strategies. These strategies can help instructors determine how to manage their workload and prioritize their time so that they can find balance and success in their work and personal life. Let’s look at the second strategy – SUPPORT.

 

2. SUPPORT – The support strategies used by instructors in online courses depend on the instructor’s level of experience in teaching online (is the instructor a novice or has he/she previously taught online courses); the type of course being taught (is it a content course, process course or a blend of both); the level of the course offering (is the course an undergraduate or a graduate course); learner enrollment and learner needs (how many students are enrolled in the course and what are the specific needs of the learners); and the type of technology(ies) used (is the course solely online or is the instructor using blended technologies – both asynchronous and synchronous). Support strategies can take the form of one-on-one support, institutional support, peer support, and/or external support.

Next week, we'll look at: 3. TEACHING STRATEGIES 

References

 

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

 

Strategies for Finding Balance and Success – DESIGN

 

The first workload strategy is DESIGN. Instructors use the following design strategies to manage workload:

• pre-planning to make sure that everything is ready prior to the beginning of the course for their learners 
• anticipating all course responsibilities and plotting them on a grid or timeline to see the "big picture" 
• prioritizing course activities to easily see which ones need more time and which less 
• anticipating learners’ needs so that needs are met before they become concerns 
• reflecting on and revising courses already taught so that the courses are up-to-date and relevant.

 

The more instructors can pre-plan and visualize the "big picture" the less they will have to be concerned with time-consuming issues during the actual course delivery. 

 

Next week, we'll look at: 2. SUPPORT STRATEGIES.

References

 

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