Month: July 2019

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A quick reflection

How has your view of the effective practice changed now that you have read more about teaching presence?

It has changed in becoming more refined. The effective practice incorporated a number of the principles, more so in the first four.

In what ways did the effective practice that you identified show the characteristics of teaching presence?

Assuming the instructor planned to do these videos in advance (at least the idea of doing them, not necessarily the content), it shows design appreciation for open communication and reflection. By creating these videos the instructor modeled open communication and reflection, and also used them as vehicles to encourage questions for students as they went through the material. These videos also helped establish community and inquiry. It helped set a tone for the week, helped provide guidance to groups, and gave talking points for students to work around.

How could the idea of teaching presence have made the experience even more effective than it was?

Maybe the instructor could have structured in opportunities for students do also post videos? Hard to say at the time. There was  ‘looseness’ to the videos that I appreciated, and taking steps to make them more structured may have lessened the impact on me. That being said, it is likely other students did not have the same appreciation I had.

Cael

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Think of a time…

The effective practice I encountered in regards to online learning occurred during one the the online courses I was enrolled in as part of my masters program. Specifically, the online faculty member did a weekly summary of their thoughts on the upcoming readings. They video recorded it in a comfortable and informal type setting. For example they filmed one week outside on the beach. They also were free flowing with their thoughts, rather than being prepped and exact with their language.

  • Why was this an effective practice for you?

I appreciated the consistent and free flowing interaction this provided me as a learner with the teacher, even though I wasn’t interacting directly. I appreciated hearing the instructors perspective, as I found myself getting a little fatigued of only interacting with fellow classmates on material. Additionally, it was a very clear message to me as the student that the instructor was actively involved in the course. The videos weren’t made last year for a different class; they were made the Sunday before the new week hit. I found it to be a good model of behavior.

  • What are some of the key ingredients that underlie the experience you had?

It was a personalized activity, in the sense that the instructor made the video in the ‘moment’ for our group of students. In previous online experiences it felt as if the instructor at times wasn’t needed at all. The readings were already planned, the assignments were already planned, and the modules and weekly instructions were already made. Unless I had a question, I could likely get through the course with minimal to no instructor interaction.

  • If you could do it over again, what would you change to improve your experience?

Being this experience was a positive one, nothing immediately comes to mind as far as improving it. I could extrapolate it to other course I involved in, and generalize to say that I always appreciate it when the instructor makes a visible effort to connect with me as a student. May not always have to be a weekly video.

Cael Field