Instructor Presence in Online Courses and Student Satisfaction

Abstract

This case study explores the role of the online instructor and how they influence student satisfaction. While there has been a substantial body of literature on what impacts on student satisfaction when students study online, there is far less literature focussing on how the instructor mediates this satisfaction, in particular satisfaction related to quality of feedback and teaching. This case study addresses this gap by exploring the performance of two instructors across six fully online courses in a post graduate managerial leadership course. Course evaluation data (quantitative and qualitative) frequency and content of instructor postings, and social network maps were considered in exploring what influenced student satisfaction with feedback and quality of teaching in a fully online unit. The outcomes of the case study corroborate with what is beginning to appear in the literature, that is, the central role the instructor plays in influencing student satisfaction. The importance of teaching and social presence, driven by the instructor, appears to be an important factor driving learning quality. This has implications for recruitment and retention as well as for training and development of online instructors. KeywordsOnline teaching, Teaching and social presence, Student satisfaction Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. Instructor Presence in Online Courses and Student Satisfaction Richard K. LadyshewskyCurtin University Perth, Western Australia, Australia rick.ladyshewsky@gsb.curtin.edu.au Abstract This case study explores the role of the online instructor and how they influence student satisfaction. While there has been a substantial body of literature on what impacts on student satisfaction when students study online, there is far less literature focussing on how the instructor mediates this satisfaction, in particular satisfaction related to quality of feedback and teaching. This case study addresses this gap by exploring the performance of two instructors across six fully online courses in a post graduate managerial leadership course. Course evaluation data (quantitative and qualitative) frequency and content of instructor postings, and social network maps were considered in exploring what influenced student satisfaction with feedback and quality of teaching in a fully online unit. The outcomes of the case study corroborate with what is beginning to appear in the literature, that is, the central role the instructor plays in influencing student satisfaction. The importance of teaching and social presence, driven by the instructor, appears to be an important factor driving learning quality. This has implications for recruitment and retention as well as for training and development of online instructors.

Cognitive, Social, and Teaching Presence as Predictors of Students' Satisfaction in Distance Learning

“…Dunlap & Lowenthal, (2009) stated that teaching presence is the ability of a teacher or teachers to support and enhance social and cognitive presence through instructional management, building understanding, and direct instruction. Ladyshewsky (2013) also reported that teaching presence appeared to positively influence students' satisfaction with an online course of study. Teaching presence emphasizes the teacher's role and responsibilities in their learning environment.…”

“…Instructors should start such an activity by triggering the learning process, encouraging students to reflect on it within the learning community, and making sure that they construct meaningful knowledge and start learning new knowledge (Garrison et al, 2000). According to Ladyshewsky (2013) instructors can help students to reach the last two phases by fostering their ability to challenge themselves and think critically beyond the boundaries of the problem. Encouraging learners to rate their contributions and to become aware of their level of thinking is another way to promote cognitive presence (Arbaugh et al, 2008).…”

Teaching Presence in Online Education: From the Instructor's Point-of-View

“…Most often, researchers will study the impact of presence on student success and satisfaction (Archibald, 2010;Allen & Laumakis, 2009;Bliss & Lawrence, 2009;Ladyshewsky, 2013;Oztok & Brett, 2011;Sheridan & Kelly, 2010;Shutt, Allen, & Laumakis, 2009;Wise, Chang, Duffy, & Del Valle, 2004). Picciano (2002) found a significant correlation between positive social presence and students' positive perception of their learning.…”

Student Satisfaction with Using Online Discussion Forums at Saudi Universities

“…For example, Lang and Costello (2009) discussed factors related to the role of instructor, student attitude, social presence, usefulness, and effectiveness of ODFs. Others focused on instructor presence (e.g., see Ladyshewsky, 2013) and interaction either with instructor or with peers as well as the clarity of design (e.g., see Swan, 2001;Swan & Shih, 2005). However, very few studies have focused on the relationships between student satisfaction with using ODFs and student demographics or experience with ICT and online education (Jackson, 2014;Ryan, 2013).…”