What happened
In a September 23 Faculty Focus article, University of Northern Colorado professor Amie Cieminski recommends small, repeated steps to build social presence in online and hybrid classes. Her suggestions include personal introductions, substantive discussion prompts, small-group exchanges and visible instructor participation through comments, announcements and feedback.
Why it matters
Cieminski defines social presence as students perceiving others as real, accessible and engaged. She cites research by Garrison and by Lowenthal and Dunlap linking greater social presence with student satisfaction, participation and meaningful learning experiences; the article does not present a new study. For course designers, her distinction between discussion that invites perspectives and replies that feel perfunctory offers a practical design check. Her account of a colleague’s short module videos reflects student reports in that colleague’s classes, not evidence that videos will work equally well elsewhere.
What to do next
Review where learners first encounter the instructor and one another, then consider brief introductions and prompts tied to course content or real-life cases. In synchronous sessions, Cieminski suggests check-ins and breakout groups with time to reintroduce themselves; in asynchronous courses, she suggests discussion prompts and regular instructor responses. Notice whether replies become more specific and whether learners have opportunities to exchange perspectives. Treat group size and video formats as choices to test locally, since the article provides examples rather than comparative evidence on which approach works best.
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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