Just as people weave their digital experiences, the student is performing the same process in the online educational environment. Based on a student’s digital behavior on the course, the instructor may better tailor assignments (such as how long it takes to read items the student has posted), adjust activities according to student assignment interaction, or make changes based on the student’s “digital record.”
Email, texting, chat apps, social media, and video encompass faster and immediate communication, and educators can implement these into their own online learning environment. Students are accustomed to immediate responses, so this conditioned behavior is expected within an online course. The instructor can provide a personalized experience for the student through prompt response time to emails, video chats, virtual office hours, audios to explain assignments, blogs, and a personal introduction video. These approaches communicate with the student fast and efficiently, contributing greater presence of the instructor in the online environment.
How online educators present themselves to the student, or how they frame themselves (talking about pets, hobbies, etc.), impacts positive behaviors on the course, opens the lines of communication, and affects student perception of the course in general. By providing a strong online presence, the educator has facilitated student engagement and encouraged active learning.
But one should be aware of the time the course will take. Time must be spent when developing audios for assignment, which may change from semester to semester. Video chats can sometimes turn into hour long conversations and writing an immediate individual assignment response may take time from other responsibilities.