Teaching Presence and Authentic Optimism in the Online Classroom

Presenters: Michael Stamos and Ellen Jones

Teaching presence and the Community of Inquiry Method will be explained. We will focus on how teaching presence can be utilized in online and blended courses to provide students with authentic optimism. Authentic optimism will be defined. The components of authentic optimism will be described. Examples of how authentic optimism can be practically applied in the digitally connected classroom will be given. The benefits of authentic optimism to students and faculty will be discussed. Active learning will be used throughout our presentation.