Creating Presence Activities During the Online Course

 

The same approach used for designing experiences that create presence before the online course begins should also be used for the creation of activities during the course. During the course you will want to intentionally involve learners in interactive activities (you with your learners, learners and learners with you, and learners with learners in a group or team.) 

Our book provides many activity examples of both educational and logistical activities. If the format of the learning experience is self-paced, the interactive activities should focus on one-on-one with your learner. If the format is team or group-based the focus should be on cooperative or collaborative activities. Logistical activities, which are non-content based, are also very important during the course. 

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. 

Creating Presence Activities Before the Course Begins

 

Use the Determinants of Presence in our Framework to create presence activities before and throughout the course. Let's begin with before the course begins: how about mailing or emailing a Welcome Letter and sharing biographies/pictures on the learning management system (LMS)? Another idea is to create ice breakers for individuals and for upcoming group and teamwork. You can also create a Scavenger Hunt to help learners with course orientation and guide them through the navigation and organization of the course. Your role, before the course begins, the technologies you select, and the support you provide will also determine "presence success." 

Framework for Designing Online Courses with a Sense of Presence

 

In our book, we propose an instructional design framework that uses the “Being There for the Online Learner” model as a foundation for understanding presence and the determinants of presence as the design components for creating a sense of presence in the online environment. The sense of presence should be intentionally incorporated into the design of the course during the preplanning phase using the determinants of presence. 

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. 

The "Being There for the Online Learner" Model

To understand how online learners experience presence and better design for those experiences, we have developed a "Being There for the Online Learner" model. This model illustrates learners' three-phase perceptual process (the inner world, the interface with the outer world, and the outer world), through which they experience presence. The model also incorporates the types of experience, the modes of presence, and how these elements interplay. 

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. 

 

Four Types of Experience to Create a Sense of Presence

What types of experience can you use for learners to help create a sense of presence? We’ve identified four types: subjective, objective, social, and environmental experiences. These types of experiences are based on concepts addressed by Ijsselsteijn et al. (2000).

Subjective experience is personal and psychological presence and takes place within our mind. It is the illusion of being in another location. For example, when our learners are experiencing online learning, they may have the illusion of being in another location as their mind is interacting with the content, you (the instructor), and other learners. 

Objective experience gives you and your learners a sense that you are both psychologically and physically in another location (Ijsselsteijnet al., 2000). It’s like feeling that you are "actually" located in the technology-mediated space. Objective experience has occurred in our teaching. Our learners have said that they experienced a feeling of psychologically and physically being in the same space with others during an online class - that they felt like they were in the same room and that the technology had disappeared. In reality, they were separated by thousands of miles. 

Social experience is when you have a sense of being with others who exist in the online environment and respond to each other. It is the social presence derived from communicating and interacting with others or with animated characters; for example, interacting with avatars in Second Life®. When others recognize and respond, it validates both the individual and group existence. The importance of ongoing interactions is significant and allows and facilitates feelings of understanding (Hargreaves, 2004). 

Environmental experience views the learner as a partner and central to the design process. It provides the ability to easily access and modify the environment (Sheridan, 1992), provide input about the environment, and interact with that environment. A description of the environmental experience incorporates both the physical and the educational aspects of the learning experience. The physical aspect involves the capability for the learners to have technical access and support for the technology and tools they are using. The educational aspect is the instructor’s openness and the design of the course structure that allows learners to feel that they are an integral part of the environment and can react to it. 

References

Hargreaves, A. (2004). Emotional geographies of teaching. Teachers College Record,103(6), 1056–1083.

Ijsselsteijn, W. A., de Ridder, H., Freeman, J., & Avons, S. E. (2000). Presence: Concept, determinants, and measurement. In Human Vision and Electronic Imaging Conference, proceedings of the International Society for Optical Engineering, 3959, 520–529.

Sheridan, T. (1992). Musings on telepresence and virtual presence. Telepresence. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 1(1), 120–126.