Online Instructor Presence

How should an online instructor exist in a course?

As an online instructor, a strong presence depends on your consistent engagement with the course and your students. That means you might play multiple roles in managing your course throughout each week. At times you might find yourself facilitating a discussion, answering questions about the technology, instructing on materials, grading, or coordinating a schedule.

In the video below provided by Louisiana State University, you’ll see that good online instructor presence starts with a combination of intentional course design choices and facilitation practices. 

Effective communication can end up being the difference between a student feeling disoriented and confused and a student knowing what exactly is expected of them each week. In a face-to-face class, we typically get to explain logistics as asides to the the day’s lecture or lesson. In an online course, a lot of that explanation of logistics has to occur as text via emails, announcements, and thoughtful instructions in the actual course materials.

The key in designing successful online learning in terms of teacher-student interaction is to create an environment in which the students feel connected with and interact with the teacher online. In this final video from North Carolina State University, you’ll learn 5 steps that can improve your presence in your online course.

Hungry for more?

Please check out our website for more details about course and support services. For any other questions please contact onlinefaculty@vcu.edu