Design online courses with predictable structure, professionally relevant choice, and substantive instructor discussion facilitation to support learner presence¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Based on interview and survey findings, the authors recommend course designs that provide coherent, predictable structure (via templates), meaningful trigger assignments allowing choice in researching subjects of professional interest, and instructor facilitation that deepens thinking through probing, scaffolding, and contextualizing. They note students valued "feedback that provided clarity and validation" and that teaching presence "could be boosted in this environment through increased faculty participation in online course discussions."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Instructor participation in discussion forums beyond minimal commenting
• Course templates with dedicated pages for goals, instructions, due dates, and grading turnaround times

Constraints¶

• Derived from one accelerated MBA program with working professionals; directionality between learner presence and CoI presences was not measured

Target Learners¶

• working professionals in online MBA courses
• nontraditional graduate students new to online learning

Target Learning Goals¶

• professional applicability of coursework
• metacognitive engagement
• productive online discourse

Affordances¶

• Learner Centered Coi Reinterpretation

Related Strategies¶

• Instructors apply chatbots to support goal setting and social presence in fully online activities

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Honig, C.A. & Salmon, D. (2021). Learner presence matters: A learner-centered exploration into the community of inquiry framework. Online Learning, 25(2), 95-119. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i2.2237