Peer-Based Learning & Instructor Presence

As an instructor, you are an essential part of this University and we are so happy to have you
with us. We count on our instructors to guide students in their learning. You will find that there
are some things that set UoPeople apart from other universities, beyond having a tuition-free
model we also rely heavily on the use of peer-assessments. Students read each other's
Discussion Forum posts and Written Assignments and grade them. The peer-assessment
model promotes a culture of shared learning and collaboration. From the University Catalog:
"Peer-based learning is a collaborative approach that encourages reflection by engaging
students from diverse perspectives in an encouraging learning environment. The theory
behind this pedagogical model is that studying within communities is more motivating and
challenging than reading alone or listening to online lectures. The peer learning
methodology, with Course Instructor facilitation, stimulates students and offers them a
powerful platform to learn from one another." (p. 60)
During this training course you will learn more information on how the peer-assessments work.
Instructor Presence (aka Teaching Presence)
While you won't be doing as much grading* as you might in more traditionally constructed
courses, instructor presence and feedback is still a critical factor in the student learning process
and in overall student satisfaction. Instructor presence is defined as "the design, facilitation,
and direction of cognitive and social processes for the realization of personally meaningful and
educationally worthwhile learning outcomes." (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, and Archer,
2001). Establishing presence can be achieved by:

• posting regular announcements to keep students on track and demonstrate that you are a
"learning ally"
• responding quickly to student concerns
• adding value to class discussions (including summarizing the discussions, offering new
perspectives, providing encouragement and guidance, and deepening students'
understandings of material)
• using current events and issues to reinforce concepts and theories
• grading assignments in a timely way and providing feedback to help students improve their
thinking and learning
• modeling good online communication and interactions

In order to help establish your presence, we ask the following of our instructors:

1. Post a welcome message to introduce yourself to your students the Course Forum before
the first day of class.
2. In a post set some clear guidelines for your expectations of students and what they can
expect from you
3. Respond to student introductions in the Course Forum. Encourage students who have
not posted to do so
4. Check into the class every day for the first 10-days to answer questions or concerns. After
that check-in at least every 48-hours, and especially on the weekends when adult
students tend to spend more time in the course. Please note: If you are 3 days absent
 from the course it is recorded by our internal logs and you will receive a login reminder
email.
5. Provide grades and feedback* on instructor-graded assignments within a week of
submission
6. Provide any grading oversight/changes (via the course’s Gradebook) for students who
ask about erroneous or non-graded Discussion/Written Assignments; since these two
assignments are peer assessed, students will occasionally have issues with their grades.
7. Forward any technical issues (broken links, components that are not working) or course
design issues (questions about content, requirements or directions that need clarification)
to the appropriate UoPeople staff
8. Follow-up with students on any issues
9. Post intermittently in discussion forums, offering encouragement, providing added value
and reinforcing learning
10. Initiate and/or maintain timely email communication with any UoPeople staff, especially if
a staff member has asked for a reply to an observed issue/concern; or if a personal
emergency/situation (that would cause an absence from the course) has arisen.
11. Anything you can do to let students know you're with them and paying attention :-)

*Graduate instructor still grade certain assignments, including Portfolio Activities, Group Work, and select
Written Assignments
References

Anderson, T., Rourke, L., Garrison, R., & Archer, W. (2001). Assessing teaching presence in a computer
conferencing context. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 5(2).