1. Instructor Presence in the
Online Classroom
Sophia J. Stone
Diane D. Chapman
North Carolina State University

2. What is Instructor Presence?
• Social presence: high instructor
immediacy behaviors
• Linked to teaching style (interactive,
participative)
• Part of the instructional design process
• Instructor visibility

3. Instructor Presence
Presence and online learning
• Enhances student learning satisfaction
• Enhances student motivation to learn
• Improves student performance
• Decreases student feelings of isolation
and alienation

4. Challenges
Instructor Presence is challenged by:
– Student expectations for feedback and
support
– Student expectations for personal
approach to learning
– Lack of serendipitous encounters
– Technology limitations
– Consistency level in instructor-student
interactions

5. Purpose
The purpose of our study was to
understand how instructors establish and
sustain presence in the online learning
environment.

6. Research Question
“How do faculty members facilitate instructor
presence in the online learning
environment?”
This question was framed by four topical
questions…

7. Interview Questions
• Q1: What comes to mind when I mention the
words "instructor presence?"’
• Q2: How do you construct your own presence, in
the online classroom?
• Q3: What instructional strategies do you use to
promote instructor presence in your online
course?
• Q4: How do you sustain instructor presence in
your online course?

8. Methodology
• 1 hr semi-structured interview (3 faculty)
• Online teaching experience 5 yrs or >
• Data collection: interviews, document
analysis

9. Limitations
• Student perceptions of instructor presence
• Sample size and selection
– convenience sample
– time constraints
• Demographic limitations
– class size
– undergraduate vs. graduate students

10. Results of the Interviews: Q1
Q1: What comes to mind when I mention the
words instructor presence?
• unique teaching style (personal style)
• course content (use own materials)
• feedback (instructor to student)
• format of content (media selection)

11. Results of the Interviews: Q2
Q2: How do you construct your own
presence, in the online classroom?
• “deliverer of content” via feedback
(acknowledgement/assignment/content/
online quiz feedback)
• variety of media used
• Use of learning objects

12. Results of the Interviews: Q3
Q3: What instructional strategies do you use to
promote instructor presence in your online
course?
• Instructor immediacy behaviors
• Establish clear expectations for type and level of
feedback
• Establish patterns of individualized feedback to
students
• Construct a visible support role

13. Results of the Interviews: Q4
Q4: How do you sustain instructor presence
in your online course, over the duration of
the semester?
• As a “facilitator of learning”
• Promote self-directed learning
• Attentive to student learning needs
• Automated feedback systems

14. Components of Instructor Presence
• Accessibility
• Flexibility
• Ownership
• Structure
• Student engagement strategies
• Instructor feedback/guidance/facilitation

15. Conclusions
Presence construct:
• course design and structure
• unique materials (own materials)
• Established feedback guidelines
• Visible and consistent support role
• Automated feedback
• Instructor accessibility

16. Conclusion
Presence construct continued…
• Email management strategies
• Listservs:
– content updates
– informative weekly updates
– supportive messages
– assignment reminders
– bundled student questions

17. Future Study
• Discipline based study of instructor
presence
• Ideal instructor presence
• Student and instructor perceptions on the
meaning of instructor presence
• Impact of new technologies such as
Centra