Social presence, or the degree of awareness of others in an interaction, is an essential component of the learning process, affecting both learning outcomes and student satisfaction (Akcaoglu & Lee, 2016). I employ numerous strategies that contribute to this presence, including the use of an instructor profile and welcome message, frequent announcements, individualized feedback on assignments, and the use of discussion boards (Quality by Design, 2016).
I currently teach lab courses, where enrollment is limited to 20 students per session. This is ideal for small group discussion because there are usually enough contributors to have a meaningful conversation where different facets of a topic can be shared, without becoming repetitive and tiresome for the participants (Akcaoglu & Lee, 2016). I often design these discussions as low-stakes assignments, offering extra-credit for participation when this is allowed by the lead instructor. Feedback is most effective when it addresses specific areas of misunderstanding, and is delivered timely enough so that students are able to incorporate it into future work (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010). By asking students to explain their understanding of a topic through a low-stakes discussion, I am able to recognize and correct any misunderstandings prior to their completion of more heavily-weighted items such as quizzes (Van Blerkom, 2017).
Another benefit of the discussion board is the ability to personalize content according to the needs and interests of the students. Adult students in particular want to understand the reasoning behind a learning activity and its application outside of the classroom prior to fully committing to that activity (Merriam & Bierema, 2014). Many of my students are in health-related professions such as nursing, rad tech, or EMS programs. Posting discussion prompts so that physiological concepts are discussed in relation to what is usually expected when there is a breakdown in the normal process demonstrates this personal application. A final benefit to the discussion board is that it transforms the online learning experience from passive to active, as students formulate responses to the material rather than simply watching or reading it, improving content retention (Kelly, 2012).
The other important substantive interaction tool I regularly use is individualized feedback on assignments. Explanatory feedback is often more effective than corrective feedback for producing positive learning outcomes (Clark & Mayer, 2016). When students incorrectly answer a question on a quiz, I do not simply state that the answer was incorrect; I explain the correct answer and provide the page reference from their text. When applicable, such as when they use an incorrect term that has another meaning, I will include an explanation of the term they used and why it does not apply to the current question. Using this method, students are able to learn from their mistakes rather than simply be penalized for them.
By creating a social presence, using and participating in discussions, and offering individualized explanatory feedback, I am providing substantive interaction with my students while also contributing to a learning environment designed to maximize their learning outcomes.
Christopher Smith
School of Biological and Physical Sciences
Adjunct Faculty
christopher.smith@daytonastate.edu
References
Akcaoglu, M., & Lee, E. (2016). Increasing social presence in online learning through small group discussions. International Review of Research In Open And Distributed Learning, 17(3), 1-17. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1102673.pdf
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., DiPietro, M., Lovett, M. C., & Norman, M. K. (2010). How learning works: 7 Research-based principles for smart teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kelly, J. (2012, September). Learning pyramid. Retrieved from http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/principles-of-learning/learning-pyramid/
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Quality by Design. (2016, May 23). Creating instructor presence [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmRGc8MRjNQ
Van Blerkom, M. L. (2017). Measurement and statistics for teachers (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
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