Title

Teaching Presence: Co-Creating a Multi-National Online Learning Community in an Asynchronous Classroom

School/Department

Cook School of Intercultural Studies

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

The pace of globalization coupled with growing institutional pursuit of online education means that online classes are increasingly composed of a multi-national, multi-ethnic, and multi-cultural student body. Teaching presence, which is the ability to structure the class, create the social environment, give instruction, and assess student work, is the basis for creating a community of inquiry in an online class where successful learning can occur. However, little is known about effective teaching presence in a multinational classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine my own efforts to co-create a social context in an online classroom that was welcoming and supportive to an extremely diverse student population enrolled in a graduate research methods course. Findings show that building student confidence, affirming student voice, and the strategic use of groups help create a climate of safety. Effective instructor techniques include setting up the class, having ongoing public and private interaction with students, giving effective feedback, and recognizing and valuing cultural differences

Keywords

Teaching presence; Multi-national learning community; Community of inquiry

Publication Title

Journal of asynchronous learning networks

Volume

18

Issue

2

DOI of Published Version

10.24059/olj.v18i2.412

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