Evaluate your presence as an online instructor guide

How to Engage Your Online Students –Building Instructor Presence

In any online class you can expect many students will begin equipped with beneficial habits related to interacting with you, and with the materials you’ve provided. However, there will also be students who have adapted to expect little to no instructor involvement as well as those who have never taken an online class. The fastest way for students to disengage in an online course is when they feel lost or confused and have no understanding or expectation for how to receive guidance. How do you ensure that all students in your course feel supported and understand how to engage with you, other students, and the content of the learning experience? Instructor presence. Your presence is essential even though you aren’t in the room with them. The following guide helps ensure students understand your plan for their learning; how they should expect to engage with you and their classmates; and how to access materials when they need them. Please remember that there is no one way to teach an online course.

What could be improved? Performance Standards What is going well?
1.       How do you help students understand the course plan?

When students understand the course plan, it lowers their affective filter and allows them to engage in the content of the class. They can observe your presence in the updated and personalized content & structure present in your course. If they don’t understand course structure or organization and see past dates, or outdated content, it can prevent them from being active participants in learning course content and dismissive of instructor engagement.
2.       How do you earn and maintain student attention?

Students may disengage with the course if they feel that their instructor is not involved.  A professor that engages regularly, creatively, and clearly with students earns their attention, and helps them to stay attentive as they participate in the course.
3.       Do students have what they need when they need it?

When students have questions in an online environment, it can be frustrating for them not have access to an answer that will help them move forward with their work.  Providing a variety of ways for them to get the help they need when they need it can help them succeed in the course, build relationship, and maintain their commitment to higher education.
4.       How do students know you are present in the course?

Students want to know that their instructor is putting effort into the course.  There are many ways this could manifest but ensuring that students know their instructor is present helps them succeed. Think about how you want students to perceive your involvement, availability, and expertise.

**This guide is meant to be exploratory, conversational, and longitudinal. As you design, review, and improve your course, you can go through this guide by asking the questions and writing down answers. It works with new and experienced instructors, different disciplines, and diverse learning modalities.

Examples of Evidence-Based Practices

  1. How do you help students understand the course plan?
  • Structure the course in a well-organized manner, making it intuitive and easy for students to navigate.
  • In addition to the syllabus, provide course organization documents such as an alignment map, schedule, or calendar.
  • Have them complete a quiz based on the syllabus.
  • Clearly communicate the value of course tasks, activities, and assessments to students.
  • Connect the course tasks to larger aspirations, personal growth, “big picture” career goals, etc.
  • Finish updates to the course prior to the start of the quarter and make sure all dates are correct and old instructor or past information is removed.
  1. How do you earn and maintain student attention? 
  • Post a personal video introduction to the class prior to the first week so they can “get to know you” as a person and a professional.
  • Personalize your course so your strengths and expertise are visible, even your humor!
  • Provide an activity where learners introduce themselves, in order to build a community of learners.
  • Provide a form or discussion board asking “Why are you taking this class?” then a mid-semester check in referring back to their “why” answer.
  • Implement a unit/module template to provide consistent structure, communications, terms throughout course.
  • Chunk information. Written, audio, and video material should be divided into shorter 5-15 minute chunks.
  • Consider embedding surprise extra-credit opportunities in announcements, emails, etc. to “lighten things up.”
  • Actively utilize and engage diverse perspectives in teaching materials and practices.
  • Bring in career-relevant and current-event examples to make material applicable to students’ lives.
  • Incorporate active, hands-on activities that are collaborative, practice-based, and/or student-led.
  1. Do students have what they need when they need it?
  • Reach out proactively to your students. Send frequent friendly emails about upcoming deadlines, especially at the start of the semester.
  • Respond promptly to student communications.
  • Meet your stated deadlines.
  • Sometimes quick, less-detailed responses and feedback can be better than delayed but extremely-thorough feedback.
  • Consider including a discussion forum where learners can ask and answer class-related questions and another one for non-class-related questions.
  • Post answers to frequently asked questions in the course.
  1. How do students know you are present?
  • ​Clearly state your plan for communication and set expectations of timeliness of types of feedback up front, (i.e., “Instructor will respond within 24 hours on weekdays or by Sunday night on weekends, term papers may take up to 1-2 weeks to grade, etc.),” so students do not feel they are being ignored.
  • Online students cannot judge body language or unspoken communication; expectations need to be explicit, clear and friendly. Consider being transparent by writing down your emotion and/or doing video/voice feedback.
  • Offer virtual or face-to-face office hours.
  • Create and participate in meaningful discussions aligned with learning outcomes and with opportunities for critical thinking.
  • Actively engage with students utilizing a variety of methods (e.g., discussions, announcements, etc.) to foster dialogue around course content and UDL.
  • When thinking about how much time you should expect from students participation and your delivery, in any combination of in- or out-of-class effort, instruction should amount to 50 minutes per week per credit over 15 weeks (or the equivalent amount of time/credit hours).  This is the equivalent of 37.5 hours of instruction for a three credit course over the whole semester, or 2.5 contact hours with students each week. Prep, grading, and reading are in addition to these instruction hours. You can use the Alternative Instructional Equivalencies guide to learn how your online practices contribute to contact hours.
  • Set clear expectations regarding assignments, grading, and “classroom” decorum. Partner with your students to create the learning environment.
  • In addition to feedback and grading, consider how you will uphold academic integrity and hold students accountable. (i.e., educate students about integrity, utilize plagiarism detection tools, report plagiarism, etc.).

Are you on the right track? Signs that students are engaged:

  • They ask “good” questions related to the task at hand.
  • They demonstrate that they understand the syllabus.
  • They complete tasks in a timely and orderly sequence, meeting deadlines.
  • They engage with course content in meaningful ways.
  • They engage with instructor and peers where applicable.

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