Facilitating discourse and enhancing teaching presence: Using mini audio presentations in online forums

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if instructors' use of mini audio presentations (MAPs) in online discussions serves as an effective facilitation method, particularly when the content contains specific facilitation markers including reinforcement, recognition, and reward (three Rs). Instructors posted MAPs as audio file attachments in the discussion forum at different points of time in an online course. A two-part survey was used to examine students' perceptions of MAPs as a way to increase teaching presence, immediacy (e.g. social presence of the instructor), and students' participation and satisfaction in the course. Preliminary results of the study indicate the use of MAPs enhances students' understanding of the course content and satisfaction in the course.