Informal and Formal Online Presence

 

Technology has become a vital part of our lives, bringing us information about what is going on in the world from the palm of our hands, through the tips of our fingers. For educational purposes, technology brings us the opportunity to expand our knowledge and extend our reach to people and places never considered before. The benefits save us time, travel, and cost; help us avoid risks by not having to travel; provide us with information and knowledge in devices we can carry wherever we go; bring us together with people from around the world; and give us the opportunity to work, collaborate, and “be there” in virtual communities.

Informal and Formal “Being There”
The sense of “being there” in virtual space happens informally and spontaneously as we use technology in our everyday lives. However, when we try to create this sense of “being there” in formal, virtual educational settings, it requires intention and a different way of thinking, feeling, and behaving from various perspectives. From the more structured perspective of an organization - policies, procedures, and credentialing need to be taken into consideration. From an instructional perspective - planning, intention, and design need to meet standards and ensure effective learning. The importance of creating a sense of presence in online teaching and learning environments cannot be overestimated. The separation of instructor and learners often leads to feelings of isolation for learners and is a major cause of learner dissatisfaction in the virtual environment.

A Sense of Presence
“Being there,” in our book, means being present with others in online teaching and learning in a virtual space. However, this feeling of presence in virtual space does not just happen; rather, this sense of presence needs to be created. The concept of presence begins with an understanding that we are perceivers and that this has an influence on the creation of presence.  As perceivers, learners and instructor are psychologically, emotionally, and behaviorally present when they connect with others in an authentic way during the online learning experience. Understanding how to connect psychologically, emotionally, and socially can influence the way learners connect and feel in the online environment and enhance effective learning.

References

 

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

 

Instructor Strategies to Balance Workload

 

Being an online instructor gives you more flexibility in terms of where and when you can work, but it can also be a trap, unless you allocate your time strategically and balance your work and personal life. Organization, discipline, and flexibility are essential.

Organization provides structure and helps with pre-planning and course delivery. Blocking out specific time for course design and delivery prior to the course can help you predict how many hours you would spend on your online course. This can also give you more time to concentrate on actual teaching during course delivery. For some instructors, this can mean being able to balance workload more efficiently between co-instructors and cohort groups. In addition, pre-course organization can help you allocate time for non-course administrative, research, and service responsibilities. 

Discipline can help you adhere to your schedule and maintain a set routine during the term of their course and can be a time-saver. Blocking out specific time during the day or weekend for learner responses and sticking to it can reduce workload. To avoid letting work take over your personal life, learn to set boundaries. Setting aside time for personal obligations is an important aspect of maintaining quality of life. Using the following strategies can help you maintain a work-life balance:

• Work from home, in a family environment, to gain freedom

• Avoid working on the online course on weekends

• Maintain a separate physical location for teaching online to allow for mental separation between work and personal life.

• Avoid responding to emails on weekends. If you have the need to write your response, do so, but wait to send it during regular work hours to prevent learner expectation that you are constantly available.  

• Distinguish between work and personal life when teaching online exclusively from home

• Manage learner expectations through explicit communication about email response and assignment feedback

Flexibility is important in the area of personal matters. For a period of time you may have to rearrange your schedule to accommodate personal issues. This is okay. You must find a way to manage workload and prioritize your time to find balance and success in your personal and work life. Below is a Table of Strategies for Balancing Workload.

Table of Strategies for Balancing Workload

Design	Support	Teaching	Allocate Time
Pre-plan course	One on one	Administrative	Be Organized
Know responsibilities	Institutional	Facilitative	Be disciplined
Prioritize activities	Peer	Evaluative	Set boundaries
Anticipate needs	External	Be flexible	Reflect on/revise

          

References

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

Template for Managing Tasks and Prioritizing Time

 

  

Our “Being There for the Online Learner Model” and “Framework for Creating Presence” were developed to help you understand that presence is “perceptual” in nature and is an important part of designing and delivering an online course. With this in mind, you are better able to bring the human aspect into your online course, make it personal experiences, and more effectively engage your learners.

 

Our “Template for Managing Tasks and Prioritizing Time” in our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011) helps you look at your course from a broad perspective and is a valuable template to use when planning your course design and delivery. It can serve as a guide for managing and balancing workload when creating your new online course, converting a face-to-face course to the online environment, or revising a course already taught online.

For new courses, the template can help you estimate the tasks you may do and the time you may spend during the design and delivery of the course. For converting courses, the template can assist you in rethinking how you can teach your course in the new environment. For existing online courses, the template can help you revisit your tasks and your time spent to become more efficient and effective when teaching the same course again. Our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011) also provides examples on how this template can be used in each of the three instances.

Next week we’ll follow up with "Strategies for Balancing Online Instructor Workload."

References

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.

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

Using the Framework for Creating Online Presence to Manage Workload

 

Looking at the Framework for Creating Online Presence you see the Being There for the Online Learner model on the left. The model and framework help you become aware of and understand what is necessary to make presence happen online. The arrow running from the model to the instructor represents the instructor’s awareness of how presence occurs online. The arrow from the instructor to the determinants of presence represents the path the instructor takes to design the course with a sense of presence. The determinants of presence are the components of the design process that guide the instructor’s creation of presence in the online environment. The arrows from the determinants of presence to the model and from the model to the determinants of presence show the continuous action involved in using and revisiting the components of the framework.

Let’s look at the determinants of presence more closely:

• the type of content is determined by the course discipline; the focus of content is either process-based or content-based or a mix of both
• the format may be self-paced, group-based, or a mix of both formats
• strategies engage learners with the instructor, the content, and each other and can be instructor-led, logistical and instructional, cooperative, and/or collaborative
• instructor roles are varied, depending on what needs to be accomplished and can include the role of instructional designer, lecturer, tutor, mentor, supporter, facilitator, catalyst, observer, and/or evaluator. In all cases, the instructor is also a learner, interacting with course participants and engaging in course activities
• the type of technology used in the online course can be asynchronous (time delay), synchronous (same time), or a blend of both (asynchronous and synchronous technologies offer different experiences and are used for specific reasons)
• support is critical in the online environment. Learners need both instructional and technical support to function well. Support from the instructor provides psychological and emotional assistance; technical support helps learners overcome deficiencies in writing or lack of understanding about technology.

Next week, our: “Template for Managing Tasks and Prioritizing Time.”

References

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.

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

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. 

 

Strategies for Finding Balance and Success

 

In our book, Managing Online Instructor Workload: Strategies for Finding Balance and Success (Conceição & Lehman, 2011), we discuss four strategies 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

 

The focus of these strategies is to help instructors determine how they can manage their workload and prioritize their time to find balance and success in their work and personal life.

Once an instructor becomes experienced with online teaching, managing time should become a natural part of workload. The workload strategies we discuss can help by serving as guidelines for practice. In the next weeks, we will focus on the four strategies. Stay tuned!

 

References

 

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