Researchers in remote/online education emphasize the importance of developing a sense of being there and being together among learners. In F2F classrooms this happens naturally — at least in a physical sense. For remote learners, it requires explicit, intentional effort, and must be integrated into the design of the course and supported by interactions among students and instructor alike.
“From our perspective, a sense of presence is ‘being there’ and ‘being together’ with online learners throughout the learning experience. It looks and feels as if […] the technology is transparent to the learning process. Each learner is ‘there’ and ‘together’ with the instructor and with other learners as well.”
Lehman and Conceição, p. 3
How can we heighten our students’ sense of being there and their willingness to engage in a community of learners?
- At the very outset of the course, consider introducing yourself in English rather than the L2, and include an explanation of your own connection to the L2 (native speaker? started learning it in high school? why?) and to other languages (or interests) as well.
- Have students take a few minutes to fill out a questionnaire about their goals / interests / previous exposure to the language, and to share it with you or each other.
- Ask students to describe (to you) something they are good at doing. This allows them to share their strengths, and may help offset the diminished sense of self that can develop when trying to communicate in a new language.
- As an assignment, have students create a montage of digital images that are important to them — or perhaps create a personal webpage or posting for Canvas — and allow some time at the end of the initial instructional hours (or outside of class) for some discussion of these montages.
- Assign 2-3 students to a Zoom Breakout Room and have them ask each other a set of questions (provided by you) about each other, including reasons for taking the course, previous experience with the language, visits to the target country, etc.
- Try to connect with a couple of students briefly (perhaps in a small group or individually) each week — in the L2 or in English (or another shared language) — to talk about non-course-related topics.
- Set up several forums connected to the course in Canvas: One in English for non-course-related topics, or for questions about the course itself; and one in the L2 for assignments. Make responses to each other’s postings part of the “participation” requirement in the course.
- Include interactive activities on a regular basis that allow students to be “present,” in the sense of sharing something about themselves (i.e., their knowledge, experience, interests, opinions), related to the course content.
Based on her experience in teaching Chinese in Spring 2020, Jing Wang (CHI) offers these suggestions for fostering a sense of presence and community in L2 classes:
- Organize debate teams or similar group projects: Students work in groups for preparation via Zoom or other online platforms.
- Poster design gallery: Students design their own posters on the theme of “National Dream,” post them on Padlet, and comment on their classmates’ work.
- Poetry reading: Each student chooses a modern or an ancient Chinese poem. At a casual Zoom gathering, everyone reads their poems and gives a short presentation explaining its content and why they chose it. At the end of the sharing, students use the Zoom polling tool to vote for the best three presentations.
- During an orientation to the course, have students use the Annotation function (in Whiteboard) to write down their expectations and resolutions. On the last day of the course, have students reflect on their experiences and celebrate their progress in Chinese.
“Encouraging classroom atmosphere and active interactivity among students are undoubtedly critical not only in helping students improve their language skills, but also in cultivating long-term interest in the learning of a language. When language courses were switched to the remote teaching/learning mode, the lack of face-to-face communication has made establishing the sense of community very challenging.”
Jing Wang (CHI)
References & Resources
Darby, F. and Lang, J. (2019). Building community (Chapter 4, pp. 75-106). Small Online Teaching: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gunawandera, C. and Zittle, F. (1997). Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment. The American Journal of Distance Education, 11(3), 8-26.
Kehrwald, B. (2008). Understanding social presence in text-based online learning environments. Distance Education, 29(1), 89-106.
Lehman, R.M. and Conceição, C.O. (2010). Creating a Sense of Presence in Online Teaching: How to “Be There” for Distance Learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R. and Pratt, K. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classrooms (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.