The context I am using for this assignment is my role as an instructor of digital marketing and public relations. I teach in both adult continuing education, and undergraduate post-secondary contexts.
Teaching presence
I create, choose, and plan content and assessments that will support the stated learning objectives of the course. If teaching online, I use forums such as discussion boards for learner to learner interaction. If teaching face to face, I assign small group projects.
For direct instruction, I present and demonstrate key concepts in the course using real-life examples from my work to encourage discussion. For example, when teaching about research in public relations, I will show how my team uses analytics to inform our decisions.
I seek to understand what they hope to learn and apply right away upon completing the course. Often, my previous adult learners were starting a new business, changing careers, etc and have specific hopes for what the course will provide.
Social presence
When teaching online, I keep my camera on for the duration of the class. If teaching face to face, I include a photo and bio in my slides on the first class. I ask students to introduce themselves and share: their preferred name they wish me to use in class, why they enrolled, and what they hope to get out of the class.
I mix-up the type of activities performed in class so that students have a chance to work with other learners that they did not necessarily know coming into the class. I sometimes ask learners to partner up, and then reconvene to introduce their partner to the class.
Cognitive presence
If a student has a question, I don’t always respond first. Instead, I ask the class if anyone has a recommendation for their fellow learner. I do this to encourage the learner to learner interaction, and give an opportunity to review core concepts.
If I know a student has prior training in a subject area I will draw on some aspects of their learning and ask how they might use the skills and apply it forward to the current class.
I love seeing AHA moments happen for students. I encourage them to apply the learning in real time if possible. I had a student do this in the past when they were taking course on digital marketing, while in an active job competition which involved writing a digital marketing plan for the employer.
Hi Tracy,
Great infographic – it really lays out well how you approach facilitation. As I was reading through each point, the ‘facilitating discourse’ stood out to me as I reflected on your comment that you try to understand the learner’s motivation and expectation for taking the course. I think this is something I often see missed, especially in corporate learning where many classes are voluntold and not voluntary. You’ve inspired me to reframe my thinking on some of our required courses – just because the participant HAS to be there, doesn’t mean they don’t have motivation or learning wants/needs regarding the offering. Thank you for that reminder!
Your post does a fantastic job of illustrating how you integrate teaching, social, and cognitive presence into your courses. I love how you emphasize real-life examples and encourage peer interaction, which really enriches the learning experience. Keeping your camera on during online classes is a great way to foster connection, too!
What’s one specific activity you’ve found particularly effective in encouraging learner interaction?