STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF INSTRUCTOR PRESENCE WITH VIRTUAL EYE CONTACT IN ASYNCHRONOUS VIDEO

Abstract

The asynchronous teaching and learning process differs from a traditional face-to-face course in that instructors and students are not in the same place and are not in the learning environment at the same time. One common strategy to teach, engage, and communicate online as part of that learning environment is the use of pre-recorded videos. Short, edited videos are used to share content from the instructor to the student. However, students may still feel disconnected from their instructor and miss classroom interaction. Increasing meaningful instructor presence in instructor created video as a method of combatting student disconnect is the focus of this study. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine student perceptions about the presence of their asynchronous online instructor, specifically through the use of video. The following questions will form the basis of this study: 1. How do students perceive the instructor’s presence by means of the use of video in the asynchronous environment? 2. What impact, if any, does virtual eye contact have on student perception of instructor presence? Identifying student perspectives can allow for a better alignment of instructor presence and student needs to make the teaching and learning process more efficient and effective. The study was a mixed methods study. A questionnaire was given to undergraduate students whose professors have used video with the instructor present in their asynchronous courses. The questionnaire included both objective, closed-ended questions which can be analyzed quantitatively, as well as open-ended questions which needed to be analyzed qualitatively.