If you have never heard of the term "presence" in the online environment then you may not realize some of the strategies you use as an Instructional Designer are actually implemented to create "presence" in your training. To have a basic understanding lets look at what this term means. In 2006, D. Garrison first presented the idea of three types of "presence" that should be present in an online learning environment: Social, Cognitive and Teaching presence. Please view the video below to get a basic understanding of each term and how it can apply in the online environment.
Video created by C Daugherty using Prezi Video.
To view in a larger window please visit: What Is Online Presence?
Each of these three terms can and should be implemented into an online training environment for maximum effectiveness. This shouldn't really come as a surprise, but can be tricky to balance depending on the training, audience and information being presented.
A few examples of how I incorporate a social, cognitive and teaching presence in both my online classroom and the adult professional learning course I facilitate are below. If you notice one or more "presence" are used in conjunction with one another to help create a more well balanced training experience.
A few examples of how I incorporate a social, cognitive and teaching presence in both my online classroom and the adult professional learning course I facilitate are below. If you notice one or more "presence" are used in conjunction with one another to help create a more well balanced training experience.
Social Presence:
The very first thing my students see when they log in their online course is my instructor information. I connect my profile image with my contact information so they know I am a real person. This also helps them when I use audio/video feedback through the course to connect a voice to a face.
I encourage my students to set up profile images in canvas as well so I can make connections with them and their work. Additionally, I build relationships with my students through various communication methods to alleviate the "virtual distance" that they may feel when they are first enrolled in an online course.
Canvas has many social presence tools built in like allowing the profile images to be uploaded and canvas messaging. Additional tools I use to create a social presence in my classroom are: Padlet, Remind and even in some cases Twitter chats can be used in real time!
The very first thing my students see when they log in their online course is my instructor information. I connect my profile image with my contact information so they know I am a real person. This also helps them when I use audio/video feedback through the course to connect a voice to a face.
I encourage my students to set up profile images in canvas as well so I can make connections with them and their work. Additionally, I build relationships with my students through various communication methods to alleviate the "virtual distance" that they may feel when they are first enrolled in an online course.
Canvas has many social presence tools built in like allowing the profile images to be uploaded and canvas messaging. Additional tools I use to create a social presence in my classroom are: Padlet, Remind and even in some cases Twitter chats can be used in real time!
Image taken from my course and modified using Powerpoint
Cognitive Presence:
For the teachers I work with, cognitive presence is a huge component to the training. We offer very specific assignments that require the teachers to reflect on current face to face teaching practices and how they will change and/or apply these practices in the online classroom.
Additionally, assignments are offered to increase their awareness of how to meet the needs of all learners in the online classroom. One such assignment involves the teachers going to the misunderstood minds interactive activity. This activity allows the teacher to see first hand what certain students may struggle with when diagnosed with certain learning disabilities. The teacher must complete the activity and then answer a set of questions that not only makes them reflect on how they have approached this before but how they will change and adapt their methods in the online classroom.
Example of questions used to confirm the importance of this activity and promote reflection from their own teaching practices:
- What activities did you choose to complete? What were your responses? Your reactions?
- Does your experience change the way you might view students who need IEP/504 modifications?
- What differentiation techniques might have helped you when completing these activities?
(You can be specific about one activity) - What modifications might have helped?
- Reply to at least two other TnT posts
If you have never tried the misunderstood minds activity before, please take a moment and look through the activities. It is truly a remarkable and eye opening experience that allows you as the instructor to see exactly what may be happening with a struggling student.
Image taken from my course and modified using Powerpoint
Teaching Presence:
For my students and the teachers I train, very personalized feedback with additional instruction is offered over various mediums. Padlets and google surveys are used to help with a social presence in the beginning of the training but also help me to understand my audience for a teaching presence purpose.
I utilize several of the Canvas tools built into our courses like audio/media comments and Canvas messaging to deliver direct instruction and additional help, review, expansion on topics being covered. The example below shows how I connect written reminders with audio comments for each student. I am combining communication methods with direct instruction via audio reminders.
Additionally, I use many various external digital tools like screencast-o-matic, Prezi (as demonstrated above), animoto, telegami, etc to deliver very direct instruction and personalized feedback.
Image taken from my course and modified using Powerpoint
References
Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, D. and Archer, W., (2001). Assessing Teaching Presence in a Computer Conferencing Context. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5 (2), 1-17
Establishing an Online Teaching Presence. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.duq.edu/about/centers-and-institutes/center-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-and-learning-at-duquesne/establishing-an-online-teaching-presence
Garcia-O'Neill, E. (2016, January 15). Social Presence In Online Learning: 7 Things Instructional Designers Can Do To Improve It. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/social-presence-in-online-learning-7-things-instructional-designers-can-improve
Garrison, D. R. (2019). Online Community Of Inquiry Review: Social, Cognitive, And Teaching Presence Issues. Online Learning, 11(1). doi: 10.24059/olj.v11i1.1737
Morrison, D. (2014, February 10). Critical thinking in the Online Classroom. Retrieved from https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/critical-thinking-in-the-online-learning-classroom/
