Learners

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Learners Perceptions of Instructional Immediacy

• In a WebCT Online Graduate Study Program

Sherri Melrose PhD, RN
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Presented at the CADE Connecting in the Global
Village Conference

• Canadian Association of Distance Education
• May 15, 2007 in Winnipeg MB

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What is Immediacy?

• Affective expression of emotional
  attachment/closeness to another person
• Construct was first developed by social
  psychologist Mehrabian in the 60s
• grounded on the premise that individuals are
  drawn toward persons they like, evaluate highly
  prefer.

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Immediacy is about feeling close emotionally
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What Teaching Behaviors Demonstrate Immediacy?

• Non verbal smiling laughing leaning closer
  nodding walking around appropriate touch

• Verbal
• subtle variations in language -we or our
  statements rather than you or your

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What teaching behaviors do not?
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Immediacy Online

• How can instructors project an affect of warmth
  friendliness in the absence of non verbal cues?

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Research Approach

• Data Collected
• 10 interviews
• 2 focus groups
• Convocation 2005

Member checks to confirm trustworthiness
Analyzed for themes by 2 researchers
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Findings Instructional Immediacy Behaviors our
Students Appreciated

• Model engaging personal ways of connecting
• Maintain collegial relationships
• Honor individual learning accomplishments

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Theme 1Model engaging personal ways of
connecting

• Include personal/professional info
• As a teacher, I would suggest that you talk
  about yourself, a little about the human aspects
  of you as a person - it just makes it more
  personable than artificial

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The instructors I felt comfortable with set the
stage in their introductions about who they
were. That was very important to me to have a
sense of who they were, their family, where they
graduated from, what their work experience was,
what their day was like, that sort of thing
The teachers that took time to introduce
themselves and talk about their interests . . .
I have a dog, I live here and established
humanness really made a difference
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• Include pictures
• My first instructor posted a picture of
  herself, which I appreciated. This was actually a
  real person at the end of the line, somebody we
  could really connect with
• One of the instructors did a profile of
  everybody. She collected pictures and
  information about everyone in the class and gave
  us a document

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• Use students names in e-mail messages
• For people like me, not from Canada, I was
  glad when instructors attempted to learn my name
  use it
• Personalize welcome messages
• Welcome Lana, nice to have you from Toronto,
  you bring a lot to us because of your focus and
  where you work. Small thing . . . but the
  instructor recognized and read my
  introduction. Just a general welcome to the
  class isnt nearly as personal

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Theme 2 Maintain Collegial Relationships
The one thing I remember about the course wasnt
the content of the material it was the
instructor saying tell me what you do to keep
yourself healthy what is your wellness plan?
So, an interest in me outside of my academia and
wanting to actually make me a better person
really stuck in my head
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Collegial Language

• To journey with
• To learn together
• Might you consider?
• How could you explore?

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Prompt Responses

• Getting emails answered promptly from the
  professors, that was wonderful. . . . Having
  confirmation that papers I submitted were
  received right away. Knowing where the
  instructors were, if they were out of town at a
  conference and couldnt get back to you right
  away, that promoted collegiality, I could respect
  their time

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• Re-direct social conversation from forums to the
  coffee room
• Include poems, metaphors tasteful humor
• Private checking-in e-mails
• So, how are you? Are you doing OK? Is the
  course too overwhelming? Im feeling that you are
  struggling here?

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Theme 3 Honor Individual Learning
Accomplishments

• Equal public recognition in forums
• If you dont get mentioned you think whats
  wrong with my work?
• Detailed private feedback
• When someone takes the time to really explain
  how you can do something better, to me - thats
  caring!

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• Balanced responses to mark issues
• thinking I should be making 90 or above at
  least in all my courses an instructor helped
  focus, get me back on track and remember that
  this is education and learning not just
  achieving high marks

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Share Resources

• When an instructor would say Ive read an
  article about that in such such spot, you might
  acknowledge it or have you heard of this book
  sharing resources like that lent a good
  feeling

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Lessons Learned

• Translating the social psychology construct of
  immediacy to our work in online education is
  valuablestudents engagement can be related to
  feeling emotionally close to their teachers
• Gentle words suggesting shared ownership are
  powerful-especially in absence of non verbal
  behavioral cues

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Next Steps

• Extend these findings to examine instructional
  immediacy behaviors that help facilitate online
  learning with other student groups
• Gather instructional strategy tips to create a
  guide for teachers new to online graduate study

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