Fourteenth International Conference on e-Learning & Innovative Pedagogies

Abstract

There is a plethora of past research that indicates the importance of instructor presence in online education. Specifically, instructor presence is associated with better student satisfaction, learning quality, cognition, and motivation (Ladyshewsky 2013; Baker, 2010; Marks et al., 2005). Additionally, experimental evidence has shown that students are more likely to be successful in a class and to have better retention when they feel their professor cares about them. This is particularly true of first-year and underrepresented groups (Carrell & Kurlaender, 2020). In this study, I implemented socializing sessions in a large, undergraduate, fully online course. The purpose of these sessions was purely to enhance community building and instructor presence and attendance was optional. At the end of the class, students who participated in the socializing sessions reported feeling more connected to the class and to the teaching team. Additionally, the majority of students who participated in socializing sessions reported positive feelings toward the instructor and the class.