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Throughout my education, I have had numerous opportunities to engage in online courses. I was more compelled to take online courses because of how convenient it was to be in the comfort of my own home while still getting credits. However, I also noticed that I was quick to drop online courses within the first two weeks because of how distant it felt. Furthermore, I have had many experiences where professors in online courses seemed to brush off the importance of teaching and social presence, especially in asynchronous courses; which is strange because you’d think they would do the opposite to make up for the lack of face-to-face interactions.
Even in face-to-face classes, I found myself getting frustrated when professors were physically present but would not communicate with students, such as providing feedback on assignments leading up to the course’s final project. I just felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of the class because, even though the professor was knowledgeable, they barely put any emphasis on teaching processes which affected their ability to teach effectively.
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Barnes’ (2016) work resonated with me the most in this week’s readings because I could personally relate to the topics and issues discussed. I liked how she mentioned that “deep knowledge of subject matter is only one piece of being a quality instructor” and that content and process are both equally formidable in complexity. I definitely felt that a lot of my professors were knowledgeable but were not very great atĀ teaching. Iāll admit that Iāve been guilty of this myself. In the past, Iāve been asked to tutor younger friends, but I often struggled to teach them effectively because I couldnāt fully understand their perspective or pinpoint exactly where their confusion stemmed from. It made me realize that the teaching process is important (I might even say MORE important) than having knowledge of a certain concept.
Teaching presence, as defined in Barnes’ work, is defined as “the ability to structure the class, create the social environment, give instruction, and assess student workā¦ the basis for creating a community of inquiry in an online class where successful learning can occur” (2016).Ā It’s easier to have teaching presence in face-to-face classrooms, but it’s what brings life to online courses. It clarifies expectations and ensures that students feel supported, and when done well, teaching presence bridges the gap between content and learner. I really appreciate teachers that are successful at establishing teaching presence.
Barnes’ work also mentions social presence, and I agree that successfully established social presence in online courses makes me feel more connected and engaged (2016). When instructors and classmates actively participate, it helps humanize the online learning environment. For me, this kind of atmosphere makes the course more enjoyable and fosters intrinsic motivation since it makes me feel more invested in the material. Feeling like I’m part of a learning community instead of just as a student in a course has definitely made my learning experience more enjoyable and meaningful.
Reference
Barnes, C.L. (2016). āWhereās the Teacher? Defining the Role of Instructor Presence in Social Presence and Cognition in Online Education.ā Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning. https://humanmooc.pressbooks.com/chapter/wheres-the-teacher-defining-the-role-of-instructor-presence-in-social-presence-and-cognition-in-online-education/
Hi Mandy! This post is incredibly thoughtful and very well written. I totally empathize with you in relation to dropping online courses. I have never taken online courses before this summer, and it was largely due to the reasons that you described. I didn’t want to feel distanced from my learning, and I was worried about the lack of connection with the professors. Luckily, I have had a wonderful experience taking these online courses.
I love the quote that you pulled from Barnes’ work about how being a good teacher is about more than simply knowing the subject matter. This is so true, and I have unfortunately had experiences with professors who are indeed very knowledgable in their subject area, and are yet unable to effectively convey the information that they are trying to teach. I totally agree that the teaching process is perhaps more important than the knowledge itself.
I also love your point about teaching presence being even more important in an online setting. This really aligns with your later point about a social presence. I wonder what your thoughts are on strategies that teachers can use to have an effective teaching presence, and how it might differ between in-person and online learning.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post. Best of luck in the rest of your courses!
Hi Mandy!
I really enjoyed reading about your experiences with teacher presence throughout your learning journey and found that many of my own experiences mirrored yours. Similarly, I have taken many online courses initially for the flexibility they offer regarding timing and participation location. However, I have also dropped them due to low engagement that caused me to lose interest in the course material itself.
Barnesā (2016) quote, ādeep knowledge of subject matter is only one piece of being a quality instructorā, as you said also deeply resonated with me. Teaching is an ability that I believe is highly under valued. It takes great patience and skill to shape the minds of the future, to guide learners to be the best, creative version of themselves. Also, if students are paying upwards of $600 per class, at UVic at least, I believe they are entitled to receive the best possible education they can. I donāt think itās fair to be paying so much just for students to have to teach the course themselves because the instructor is either unavailable or unable to actually teach the content, as you put it.
Your post encouraged me to investigate further resources regarding teaching methodologies which led me to a resource by the University of Michigan called āTeaching Strategiesā. I think you might enjoy looking into some of the perspectives the resource has to offer, they have a whole section on engaged learning which provides alternatives to the traditional ālecture and listenā learning approach. Here is the link: https://crlt.umich.edu/resources/teaching-strategies
Thank you again for your post, I appreciate your valuable insights š