Genre Shift: Instructor Presence and its Impact on Student Satisfaction in Online Learning

Proposed Study  Research Question: What instructor personality attributes contribute to student satisfaction in online higher education learning?  Study population: Students currently enrolled in an online course at a large Mid-Atlantic university.

Research Process – Mixed Methods 1. Qualitative research - a group of 4-5 students of currently enrolled in an online university course to explore what instructor attributes enhance student satisfaction. 2. Quantitative survey using a combination of question types to measure student satisfaction with defined instructor attributes in a distance education setting. A few open ended questions will also be included.

Expected Findings  Instructor Presence as defined through the instructor attributes, does significantly impact student satisfaction in online learning.  Instructor attributes and behaviors greatly influence community building which enhance student satisfaction.  Student satisfaction is enhanced when online instructors reveal their personalities through the sharing of professional and /or personal information about themselves.  Online students expect online instructors to engage, inform and motivate students equally in both online and face to face settings.

Study Procedure  Students enrolled in an online class at a large Mid- Atlantic university will be surveyed through an request.  A Survey Monkey type tool with both demographic and questions using an ordinal rating scale will be presented to the students.  Data will be analyzed using a statistical tool such as SPSS.  Correlations between demographics and self-reported online learning experiences

Integrating an Additional Qualitative Approach Select a group of 4 or 5 instructors teaching an online course at the specified Mid-Atlantic university to gather in-depth information  Utilize a convenience sample methodology to populate the focus group in order to ensure a diverse population of instructors teaching courses to graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of curriculums.  Obtain permission to video record the sessions  Interview each faculty member for one 40 minute session

Focus Group Interview Objectives  Identify perceived reasons why students take an online course  Identify what perceived instructor attributes enhance student satisfaction in both face-to-face and online classes  Identify “How” faculty members manifest these attributes in an online environment – with personal experiences  Obtain descriptive narratives of online education experiences and feedback from students

Focus Group Questions 1) What instructor personality attributes enhance student satisfaction while teaching a face-to-face class? How does this answer change when you think of an online class? 2) What instructor behaviors create dissatisfaction while taking a face-to-face class? How does this answer change when you think of an online class? 3) Explain how an instructor can demonstrate the attributes you have identified in an online environment.

Focus Group Data Analysis  Analyze qualitative data to gain a “general sense” of the data – What attributes do students identify in instructors that enhance learner satisfaction?  Utilize a software package such as NVivo or Interact to code the data  Identify codes and identify their presence in the data Number of times referenced and length of time discussing that theme  Identify themes across the data - Which attributes are noted by multiple focus group members?  Interpret the themes to create Findings

Anticipated Findings  All attributes manifested in a face-to-face class will also be desired in an online class.  In addition, students will have even greater expectations for instructors in online classes to demonstrate: caring, trustworthiness, honesty, humor, commitment, reliability, enthusiasm, punctuality, respectfulness and courteous behavior.  The interviews will specify what behaviors an instructor can demonstrate in an online environment to communicate the personal attributes which enhance student satisfaction in an online learning environment.

Benefits of Mixed Method  Interview findings could be the input for the Quantitative Survey  Triangulation of results  Instructor perspective of what online personality attributes enhance student satisfaction  Provides data for the creation of an intervention