Week 5 Overview

Online Presence

Maintaining appropriate online presence is a very important skill in online facilitation. Looking back on your experiences in FLO as a participant and facilitator, and watching others facilitate, do you have any new ideas for establishing and maintaining your online presence? What seemed to work well? What didn't?

Successful online facilitators will tell you they have devised strategies for being there, without always having to be there (online, 24/7). Much of this has to do with understanding, anticipating and responding - in advance - to the needs of adult online learners.

Facilitators can establish and maintain presence in a number of ways, including:

posting regular updates and notices to the class. Often, instructors post a weekly update on a Sunday evening, perhaps commenting on high points from the last week and setting up expectations and reminders for the coming week. Even though this information (the schedule, the list of tasks and readings) is in the course, it's good to demonstrate that you're moving through the course with them.
noting particularly interesting developments in the forums
asking provocative questions
sending individual emails
making references in assignment feedback or forums to notable postings a student has made
making all instructions very, very clear (i.e., anticipate needs)
using synchronous technologies at strategic points in the course, e.g., holding a Collaborate session, and recording it for those who can't attend. Some good times are:

at the beginning, to introduce yourself and establish expectations
at mid-point, to check in and see how students are doing (in many courses there is a mid-point survey too, which gives formative feedback while there is time to adjust strategies before the end of the course
before a complex or challenging team or individual assignment
as a way to prepare and review for the final exam

using audio, video, and images to show and tell things to the students, including your course introduction
and last but never least, making it personal to the extent that works for you (e.g., using humour, sharing relevant anecdotes/stories from your professional experience, etc)

Making regular contributions to the course in a variety of ways assures students that you are present and attentive.

If you didn't already watch the "instructor presence" videos that we featured in the beginning of this course, now might be a good time to go back and view them (or view them again!).