Teaching and Learning Resource Center

Teaching presence

Definition

The strategies and practices through which an instructor might instill their presence within an online course, typically through a combination of instructional activities, direct facilitation, and purposeful course design. There are numerous strategies through which instructors might build teaching presence into their courses, such as regularly scheduled communications with the class via announcements and check-ins, substantive participation in class discussions (e.g., Carmen discussions or synchronous sessions), and personalized feedback on course assignments.