Are you concerned that you are not creating an online environment where your students feel like they are part of the course? Learning about creating a sense of presence online will give you the strategies you need to help you and your students feel connected. We offer an interactive workshop that can help you or your instructors.
Why is a Sense of Presence so Important?
Presence is important to reduce student isolation, deepen learning, promote a more inclusive environment, develop connections, and make learning more enjoyable. As online learning becomes the norm, an awareness and understanding of the concept of presence in the classroom takes on new meaning.
What's the Difference Between Face-to-Face and Online?
In the traditional face-to-face classroom, learners are with the instructor and other learners in the same space with a clear sense of time and a feeling of closeness with each other. In this case, the feeling of presence is easily perceived because learners, the instructor, and other learners are there with each other. In the online environment, however, the feeling of presence is elusive: there are no spatial or place boundaries; time is flexible; learners, instructor, and other learners are not in proximity; the use of the senses requires adaptation to the online environment; the type of interaction needs to be rethought; and instructional planning needs to be intentional and in advance.
Focus of the Workshop
This workshop focuses on the social nature of online learning and how the sense of presence is felt and experienced using a framework that provides ways in which you can determine presence in your online course.
In this workshop, participants will:
- Explore the various aspects of the “Being There” for the Online Learner Model (the dimensions of the learner, types of experience, modes of presence, and the interface with the online environment).
- Discover the Framework for Designing Online Courses with a Sense of Presence.
- Identify activities that create a sense of presence (before the course starts, during the course, and at the end of the course) and apply them through practical examples.
For more information, contact us. To see all the workshops we have available, go to Professional Development for Instructors.
