What happened
In a Faculty Focus article, Amie Cieminski, an associate professor and department chair at the University of Northern Colorado, recommends small changes to strengthen social presence in online and hybrid courses. Her examples include personal introductions, open-ended discussions, small groups and regular instructor responses. She cites research linking social presence with student satisfaction, participation and meaningful learning.
Why it matters
For instructors and course designers, the distinction is between requiring interaction and making it useful. Cieminski warns that routine discussion replies such as “great idea” can feel transactional. Prompts inviting different perspectives or responses to real-life cases give learners something substantive to discuss. In live sessions, she suggests groups of three or four, with time for learners to reintroduce themselves. Names in replies, timely feedback and brief module videos offer ways for instructors to remain present in asynchronous courses.
What to do next
Review one module for where learners first meet, what they have to discuss and when they hear from the instructor. Consider a short personal introduction, a prompt without a single correct answer and responses more specific than generic praise. For live sessions, allow check-in time in smaller breakout groups; for asynchronous work, consider comments or a short module overview. These are Cieminski’s teaching suggestions, not evidence that any particular combination will improve outcomes in every course. Ask learners which interactions help them feel connected before expanding changes.
About this briefing
Reviewed by TutorFlow Editorial. We link the primary source, preserve its publication date, and distinguish reported claims from TutorFlow analysis. Our commentary focuses on practical decisions for educators and training teams.
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