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the importance of your online teaching presence is that it contributes to online students’ sense of learning and perception of community.  An online teaching presence “is the binding element in cultivating a learning community” (Persico, et al, 2010).  According to Shea, Li & Pickett (2006), “There is a clear connection between perceived teaching presence and students’ sense of learning community.”

For an online learning environment, the emphasis shifts from preparing class sessions to preparing learning modules with specific learning goals, reading assignments, brief instructional materials, learning activities, discussion board posting requirements, assessment procedures, etc.   While you design the modules for your course, you should regularly ask: What do I want students to learn in this module? How will students demonstrate their learning of the materials in this module? What assignments or learning activities will support the learning for this module? By asking yourself these questions while designing modules, you will support student learning and will establish your teaching presence in the design of the course.

“Skillful facilitation allows students to interact with one another and the instructor at a high level” (Palloff and Prat, 2011).   At the beginning of the course, faculty members can help facilitate discourse through ice breakers that ask students to introduce themselves and find commonalities with other students. 

"The promising syllabus," Bain wrote to me via e-mail, "fundamentally recognizes that people will learn best and most deeply when they have a strong sense of control over their own education rather than feeling manipulated by someone else's demands."

irst, it offers an explanation of the course's promise to the students -- what will they have gained, in terms of knowledge or skills, by the end of the semester?

Second, it describes the activities in which the students will engage in order to help them fulfill that promise: the readings, the class activities, the assignments.

THINK ABOUT IT Scenario     Thinking Style       Planning a "Road Trip"   Linear Thinkers will plan out every detail of the trip                                   (i.e. location of gas stations, roads to travel, items to bring, etc.). Global Thinkers will get in the car and drive.         Assembling Furniture, Toys or Electronics   Linear Thinkers will lay out all the parts (neatly), and read the instructions                           carefully before starting the assembly. Global Thinkers will look at a picture of the assembled product, and then try to                           put it together like a jigsaw puzzle                                     (i.e. "this piece looks like it fits here, this piece goes over here...").  

So, you should also try to recognize the learning and thinking style of the people you speak (or write) to.  Essentially, you need to hit the hot buttons of the people you communicate with (e.g. provide details to a linear thinker or describe the big picture to a global thinker).

nother distinction that underpins formative assessment is student involvement. If students are not involved in the assessment process, formative assessment is not practiced or implemented to its full effectiveness. Students need to be involved both as assessors of their own learning and as resources to other students. There are numerous strategies teachers can implement to engage students. In fact, research shows that the involvement in and ownership of their work increases students' motivation to learn. This does not mean the absence of teacher involvement. To the contrary, teachers are critical in identifying learning goals, setting clear criteria for success, and designing assessment tasks that provide evidence of student learning.

Formative Assessment is part of the instructional process.

it can only help in evaluating certain aspects of the learning process.

Tips for Increasing Instructor Presence in your Distance Learning Course

Record an introductory video for the first week of the course introducing yourself, your teaching style, student expectations and goals for the course. Contact the ATC to schedule a time for recording your video. Start off each week with a brief personalized note detailing your learning objectives for the lesson and what assignments or tasks need to be done for the week. If relevant, include a personal anecdote or a brief comment on a current event. An example would be to welcome students back for a new semester or from the midterm break. This can be done easily in myWPI by Adding an item at the top of your folder and typing your note in the text box. Incorporate your own voice by narrating your PowerPoint slides or other on-screen materials with Camtasia Studio. For written materials, try a more natural and conversational tone.

Show your presence by checking in to the website as often as possible and leave timely "evidence" that you have been there such as posting new announcements or discussion board postings. For example, if you only post every other week the students may feel that the course site has been "abandoned." Set expectations at the beginning of the course for your students of how often you will be checking in and your response time. Share information with your distance learners that will help them in their careers, just as you would with on-campus students. For example, post links to articles or current job postings in your industry to the Announcements area.