Our Presence in an Online Course

Blended & Hybrid Learning

The role of an online instructor is critically connected to three basic kinds of presence: Teaching Presence, Social Presence, and Cognitive Presence. But which of these three types of presence is the most important?

In hindsight, we teachers do not much worry about these kinds of presence because –somehow- it is taken for granted that they actually take place in a F2F course. Our teaching presence is there in our F2F classes since we are the ones in charge of designing, planning, facilitating, and directing our students. Physically speaking, we are there providing feedback and coaching learners in situ.

As Neil J. Anderson once stated in a workshop over here in Costa Rica, some years ago, we teachers have to create a class culture that gives us room for some good social presence and human interaction needed among students and teachers. By means of a class culture fully consolidated in class, we provide students with an opportunity to identify themselves with the community (their course, their partners, their instructors, their study program, and the like).

In a F2F environment we definite ensure student cognitive presence. This presence implies “the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse” (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000). We instructors are there to guide students towards the achievement of the course learning goals, towards the building of their knowledge and expertise.

However, when we switch from a F2F VLE into an online course, which of these four types of presence is the most important? Going back to Dr. Anderson’s Class Culture, in an online class we must make our (social) presence be felt. Instructors must make students feel that they are part of a learning community and facilitate the exchange of ideas and discussions among class members. This social presence must be started from the very beginning of a course to ensure the creation of the Class Culture needed to have a class fully operational.

If our social presence is the most important one in an online course, how can we guarantee the full operation of our Class Culture? We can overlook the fact that we instructors are dealing with human beings who are social beings as well. This implies that, as it was once pointed out by Stephen Krashen, it is imperative that students’ affective filter is low to safeward their learning. An low affective filter simply implies that students are at easy in one’s course, that they are willing to participate and ask for clarification when needed, and that they are fully part of a learning community, our course.

Making our social presence certain in an online course is the one thing that will have the greatest impact on student learning within an online course. Teacher social presence can guarantee optimal student learning (cognitive presence) and great guidance towards the building of students’ knowledge (teaching presence). Somehow, our social presence is the cornerstone of an effective online course.

E To fully develop and comprehend this teaching issue, it’s advisable to research and expand these areas:

1	Making your presence felt in online teaching
2	The building of a learning community
3	The Affective Filter and online learning
4	Methods to enhance social presence in VLEs
5	The Concept of Class Culture by Dr. Neil J. Anderson

Anderson, Neil J. (2004) Building a Class Culture. In-Service Training at CCCN. San Pedro: CCCN, Costa Rica

Garrison, D. R. (2011). Community of inquiry: CoI model. Retrieved from http://communitiesofinquiry.com/model

Wilson, Reid. (2000) A Summary of Stephen Krashen's "Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition" Retrieved from http://www.languageimpact.com/articles/rw/krashenbk.htm

Professor Jonathan Acuña-Solano

ELT Instructor & Trainer based in Costa Rica

IATEFL Member and NCTE Affiliate

Resource Teacher at CCCN

Senior ELT Professor at Universidad Latina

Freelance ELT Consultant four OUP in Central America

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