Workshop title: Presence and relatedness in synchronous online learning environments: What is important and to whom?

Name of presenter: Mika Aromäki

Affiliation and academic title: Language Centre, University of Helsinki; University Instructor in English

Email address: mika.aromaki@helsinki.fi

 

Ever since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, teachers in tertiary education have been providing synchronous online teaching. During the pandemic, the situation was forced on everyone, but after the restrictions were lifted, there has been more freedom for teachers to choose when and what they wish to teach via platforms like Zoom, which has also given students added choice regarding ways of attending lessons. While some research has gone into elements of successful synchronous online learning environments both during and after the pandemic, many questions remain either unanswered or context dependent.

This workshop will share some original as well as referenced data on the significance and preferred forms of teacher presence and the experience of relatedness in a course group from the point of view of university students in synchronous online language courses. What is more, the workshop will seek to add the perspective of the participants, i.e. language teaching professionals, on the abovementioned matters, and inspect how the views held by educators and learners align.

As various forms of online teaching are only likely to become more prevalent in the future, the contents of this workshop fit under both the general theme of the 2024 CSW, The Future of Language Learning and Teaching, but also more specifically, for example, the theme of teacher and student wellbeing. It is key in the context of both themes for teachers of language and communication skills to have data on what students in synchronous online learning environments might need or want (and whether these are the same), but it is equally important to make teachers’ voices heard regarding a form of teaching that is likely to form an increasing part of their work in the future.