Developing a framework for teaching presence and student engagement in online learning : a case study

Abstract

Teaching presence and student engagement account considerably for students’ success in online learning. Notably, teaching presence is the foundation of quality learning in an online learning environment. Teaching presence as a component of the community of inquiry (CoI) model comprises the design and organization of online courses, the facilitation of discussions, and the direction of instruction for meaningful learning to occur in an online learning environment. Furthermore, teaching presence and student engagement must work jointly for successful online learning experiences. Unfortunately, some online teachers develop and teach online courses without a complete understanding of teaching presence and its components in online classrooms. Further, though teaching presence and student engagement must go hand in hand for successful learning to occur, there is a need to investigate how the two constructs are established and contribute to successful online learning. This qualitative case study aimed to explore the perceptions of online teachers and students on teaching presence and student engagement in an online learning environment and to discover practical ways teachers establish affective teaching presence for successful learning to occur in asynchronous and synchronous online courses. Furthermore, the motivation of students to engage in online learning activities, the challenges related to teaching presence, and student engagement were targeted in this study. Finally, a framework for teaching presence and student engagement was designed. Data was gathered through observations, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), and document analysis. This study was conducted at one university. A total of 30 participants, composed of 7 teachers and 23 online students, participated in the study. Findings revealed that teaching presence is perceived as planning for online instruction, facilitating discussions, and directing instruction. Further, student engagement was perceived as participating actively in online learning activities and fulfilling the course requirements promptly. Furthermore, results revealed that personal characteristics, constructive feedback, and effective use of educational technology tools are effective through which teachers establish teaching presence. Additionally, different reasons motivate students to engage in online courses. Hurdles and impediments were identified as challenges teachers and students faced, and coping mechanisms were proposed. Finally, a framework is presented as the final product of the study. As part of the conclusion, implications of the study and recommendations to the administrators, teachers, and online students were provided.