Blog: A Profile Picture is Worth a Thousand Words (to our students!)

By Tracy Hodgson-Drysdale, MEd, PhD, Educational Technology Development Coordinator at Teaching and Learning Services, and Instructor at Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Boston College and Lesley University

If a picture really is worth a thousand words to our students (and maybe also to our colleagues), then it’s high time we update our profiles in Brightspace to include a photo. Does this idea leave you feeling skeptical? Think about it this way: When we teach in-person, our students see us each week in class as we engage with them. They can connect with us by hearing our voices, seeing us as we move about the room, and even in the way we present the content. When we teach asynchronously, our students still need ways to connect with us, but it will happen in different ways. Online learning requires us to be a little more conscious of creating that connection and presenting ourselves as real people who are ready to engage with students. That can begin with something as simple as posting a profile picture in Brightspace.

There are three types of presence instructors can control in online learning: social, cognitive and teacher presence (Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005). Social presence is how we, as instructors, build community in our online classes and it requires that we focus our attention on how our students form interpersonal connections. Social presence can also provide an opportunity for us to model the social skills students will need in their careers. As instructors, we can create a social presence in our online classrooms in many ways and adding a profile picture is a simple way to begin.

Strategies for Social Presence and Benefits

• Post a photo of yourself as a profile picture. It’s a great way to humanize the online classroom and it encourages your students to do the same. If you don’t feel comfortable posting a photo of yourself, posting an avatar or an image of something that represents you is another great option for promoting engagement. There are many free online tools that will allow you to create an avatar or computer-generated visual representation of yourself.
• Include a welcome video that walks students through the course and your organization of content. Helping students understand the rationale of your organization will help them interact with content and it will lead to fewer procedural questions.
• Create an Introduce Yourself discussion and be the first to participate. This sets the tone for students to participate while allowing them to learn something about you and how you express yourself. Feeling adventurous? Include images with your written response or post a video of your introduction and encourage students to do the same. Providing choices for interacting is a sure way to promote engagement.
• Learn students’ preferred names and use them in online interactions. Using names and inclusive pronouns promotes a sense of community while sending a clear message about your teaching philosophy.

Remember that social presence and building community in online courses takes time. You don’t have to try all these things at once and, in fact, it’s a good idea to try some new things each term. It’s also important to remember that social presence looks a little different for each instructor, but that uniqueness will be appreciated and remembered by your students. Start with posting a profile picture and see where it leads you!

Have questions about how to create online presence in your course? Request a course consultation and come and meet with TLS. We can help!

For a broader discussion of the three types of presence, see the blog How Can I Be Present in an Asynchronous Classroom?

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