B. Use your presence to motivate and encourage students.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects for the instructor who uses online
discussions is teacher presence. This happens by posting the discussion questions,
directing the groups in the discussions, and by providing feedback on how the
discussion is going. The instructor’s presence helps to keep students focused on the
task at hand and can help to refine discussions so that the conversations progress past
basic information sharing to knowledge construction and, ideally, application and
integration of the knowledge. Students who are able to make connections to previous
knowledge and experience see the relevance of the material and experience increased
motivation. When instructors explicitly recognize and reward this level of learning they
can also encourage further knowledge growth.