Instructors' Perceptions of Their Interaction With Students in Online Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The study examined how 22 instructors (lecturers and tutors) perceived their roles in online teaching in a first-level course in open, distance and e-learning. The Community of Inquiry framework was used for the study. The research employed a case study involving questionnaires and document analysis. The findings revealed that the tutors saw their role as assisting students with assessments, online navigation, using ICT, motivation and time management. Lecturers perceived their roles as designing assignments and marking rubrics, updating course content, undertaking quality assurance and maintaining sound communication. Tutors spent between 16 and 37 hours and lecturers roughly 55 hours a week teaching the course. The study recommends effective communication, alternative automated assessments and lower student numbers per online class to decrease instructors’ workload and allow them to spend quality time interacting with their students. The findings will help higher education institutions with similar contexts to plan online courses with high student numbers.