Internet Learning Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 2015 | Page 13

Internet Learning Journal – Volume 4, Issue 1 – Spring 2015
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
It is obvious that an instructor’s role in an online class environment is a significant
factor for learners’ successful and positive learning experiences. Teaching presence and
teaching immediacy are found to be significant factors in traditional face-to-face class
settings (Witt, Wheeless, & Allen, 2004). It is important to study the influences of these two
important factors in an online class environment (Baker, 2010). Tudorache, Iordache and
Iordache (2012) portrayed electronic learning or elearning as “a type of education where the
medium of instruction is computer technology. No in-person interaction may take place in
some instances. E-learning is used interchangeably in a wide variety of contexts” (p. 389).
La Roche and Flanigan (2012) defined student engagement as activities that involve
students’ ‘active cognition processes’ (p. 47). Hence, creating and delivering instruction and
learning activities and assignments aimed toward involving learners in online class
environments is required for student engagement in an online class context. Teaching
presence or instructor’s presence is denoted by the role of instructors in online class
environments. Designing and facilitating are ways to ensure cognitive and social learning
experiences (Anderson, 2000). Again, teaching immediacy is defined in this paper as an
instructor’s availability as perceived by the learners (Baker, 2010).
Although authors such as Duderstadt (2012) are doubtful about the possibilities of
deriving universal strategies to engage online students, Cull, Read, and Kirk (2010)
optimistically found the significance of deriving and following common strategies to engage
students online.
The challenge of keeping our students engaged and motivated is common across
grade levels, subject matter, and all types of institutions and courses. Online courses,
however, present a special concern. With students and faculty in contact only via the
Internet several new challenges arise (para 1).
Grandzol and Grandzol (2006) coined that empirical evidence of best practices are
the most effective in finding out strategies that help create engaging and interesting online
courses. Again, Garrison, Cleveland-Innes and Fung (2010) advocated for theoretical
foundation of online learning literature. “It is argued here that to advance our understanding
of online learning in higher education, a coherent theoretical framework must guide
investigations into the research and practice of web-based online teaching and learning” (p.
31).
Different studies highlight the importance of forming a learning community among
students. Researchers suggest that a sense of community is beneficial for the students’
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