Effect of Video Announcements on Instructor Presence and Student Engagement in the Graduate Online Classroom

Abstract

Online learning has become a common method of course delivery in higher education. Instructor presence and student engagement are critical to quality education but can be difficult to achieve in the asynchronous online learning environment. The use of video has been highlighted as one method to improve instructor presence and student engagement; however, research is limited on the most efficient ways for instructors to incorporate video into their courses. This research study examined the effect of instructor-created video announcements on perceived instructor presence and self-reported student engagement. Students enrolled in two sections of an introductory graduate nutrition course received specifically crafted announcements based on the Community of Inquiry Framework (COI). The control group received text-based announcements and the experimental group received video announcements.Both groups completed surveys to assess student engagement pre-and postintervention and instructor presence postintervention. Overall, the findings showed there was no effect on perception of instructor presence or student engagement between the control and experimental groups. However, insights for improving teaching strategies were gleaned.