Distance education provides rich opportunities for students in remote or rural areas attending tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to pursue academic enhancement that contributes to career development. While many TCUs launched distance and online learning opportunities in early 2020, few were prepared with faculty training, development, or guidelines to ensure a rich student experience. This article provides a review of faculty roles and responsibilities in distance education, including both best practices for distance and online education offerings and strategies for instructor engagement throughout a distance delivery course.

It is widely accepted that faculty are responsible for teaching students, developing their academic skills and knowledge, and preparing them for career placement or advancement. The primary role does not change when the learning modality shifts to online delivery; however, the way educators meet these needs is altered when education is facilitated via distance learning.

Distance education is defined as education that takes place when the instructor and student are separated by space and/or time (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2016). Distance learning can take place synchronously, meaning the course is delivered in live time; or asynchronously, meaning the course is available but students and instructors are not present at the same time in the course (Fabriz, Mendzheritskaya, & Stehle, 2021). When delivered synchronously, instructors and students will utilize videoconferencing technology such as Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate to facilitate live sessions with joint attendance. In asynchronous offerings, coursework is built and housed in an online learning management system that students access at their convenience.

Whether synchronous or asynchronous, TCU courses must meet the four principles identified by Kirkness & Barnhardt (2016) as priorities for Native American students: respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility. In creating a course environment that includes the four principles, faculty must include both learning resources and learning activities as online course components. Learning resources may be a link to a textbook, articles, videos, or instructor lectures that help students gain familiarity with the material presented. Learning activities should be built based on the learning objectives for each section of content (Timothy, 2016). Learning activities may include discussion forums, assignments, or assessments.

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Faculty responsibilities in an online course include facilitating content, coaching for improvement, and mentoring students. This begins with both familiarity and comfortability with technology, the learning management system, and the tools enabled in the online environment to aid in content delivery. If faculty are hesitant regarding technology, they will struggle to facilitate online courses (Han, Shin, & Ko, 2017). Technology provides the foundation for asynchronous online learning, so faculty must be capable of utilizing the learning management system and incorporating additional tools to enhance student learning. Course set-up and facilitation then become the key responsibilities for faculty in their online courses.

Facilitating content in an online course requires consistency and communication. Consistency begins with the way a course is built and set up. Online courses should maintain high quality and rigor, provide clear learning pathways, identify communication and collaboration tools, and build a sense of community amongst the learners (Farmakis & Kaulbach, 2013). Many large online institutions set up a course for the instructor, but most TCUs allow faculty to create their own course content. This requires the instructor to determine the layout and flow that will support students through easy to navigate, accessible content.

Students are more successful when the content follows a consistent blueprint throughout the term. One blueprint that works for TCU students is a weekly layout. This allows students to succeed based on clear expectations and self-direction through the online course content (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020). Within each week, start with an overview, a summary of what will be covered throughout the week. Then provide the key learning objectives for the week so students see what they are expected to know and/or do by the end of the week. Follow that with the resources, including links to any required videos or articles that support the learning content, then the discussion forum, assignment, and assessment. Each week should be set up the same way, creating consistency for the students so they know where to find information, in what order, and what will be expected in that week of the course.

Students are also more successful when instructors are present in the online course (Edwards, 2021). This doesn’t necessarily mean that synchronous learning is better for students; however, for TCU students, a lack of faculty engagement violates two of the four Rs—respect and reciprocity—and leads to student disinterest (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020). Faculty presence must be evidenced with frequent, consistent interaction in the course and with students. Native American students rely on support from and interaction with instructors in order to succeed in online courses (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020). Instructor presence can be demonstrated through announcements, engaging in the discussion forums, promptly responding to student questions in a general forum or a private message, and providing specific feedback to submitted gradable course elements.

Announcements are an effective way to introduce content for the week, provide reminders of upcoming due dates, clarify concepts throughout the week, encourage participation or utilization of any live or tutoring sessions, summarize content from the previous week, or connect concepts between weeks or course objectives. Announcements are an indicator of instructor engagement in the course, providing real-time review and reminders relative to course materials.

Making three announcements per week can be a useful strategy. The first announcement, posted on the first day of the new week, may be a summary of the previous week and an introduction of the current week. The second announcement is a notification that grading is complete, providing affirmation of the learning outcomes and reminders of how the graded material helps students demonstrate their mastery. In this announcement, an instructor can remind students to review the feedback provided and invite them to contact the instructor with any questions. It’s a good practice to complete grading within 72 hours of submission deadlines, so the second announcement is posted mid-week. The third announcement is posted at the end of the week or start of the weekend and provides a link to a recent news article or video that relates to the content for the week. The third announcement should also remind students of upcoming deadlines. For most TCU courses running Monday through Sunday, this means announcements are posted Monday, Wednesday/Thursday, and Friday/Saturday of each week.

Discussion forums create opportunities for students to engage in course-related dialogue. Discussion forums are an asynchronous conversation tool that fosters interaction and knowledge sharing (de Lima, Gerosa, Conte, & Netto, 2019; de Zoysa, Hettiarachchi, Karunanayaka, & Naidu, 2019). The discussion forum provides the opportunity for students to summarize their understanding of the material and share any previous experience that relates to the content. When the instructor engages in the discussion forum, the conversation can remain focused on the relevancy of the content and identify its application in future settings (Douglas, James, Earwaker, Mather, & Murray, 2020). Hunt & Oyarzun (2020) note that instructor engagement in the forums supports the respect, relevance, and reciprocity that Native American students expect as part of their academic journey.

Effective discussion forums can simulate a classroom discussion that would have otherwise occurred face to face. In a synchronous classroom environment, an instructor would not pose a question and then leave the room, assuming students would respond and engage around the content. For that reason, instructors must be present in online, asynchronous forums. As a course guide, it is the role of the instructor to influence the discussion and ensure that respectful dialogue occurs. If discussion forums are facilitated well by an instructor, they can create a collaborative environment that encourages shared understanding while also enhancing a student’s perception of the relevancy of the information to their program of study and their professional goals (Keiper, White, Carlson, & Lupinek, 2020; Yang, Newby, & Bill, 2005). Instructors should be careful though to ensure their feedback doesn’t discourage student dialogue, but instead promotes additional conversation through sharing instructor experience and posing questions that encourage critical thinking and content application (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016; Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020).

Students attending TCUs will engage in forums when they know their instructor is also engaging. Many will post more frequently, mirroring an instructor’s own posting habits, and participate in dialogue with both faculty and other students. The forums can be used to share the instructor’s personal and professional experience as it relates to the content and to ask questions that encourage either more critical thinking or individual application (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020). At the start of a term, Native American students will often engage in guarded ways, posting responses to peers that affirm their post or rephrase it in some way. Often by the mid-point of the term, students have developed their discussion forum skills and will share their own insights, application, and experience, or pose thoughtful questions to one another that encourage additional conversation. At Iḷisaġvik College, courses with a high level of instructor engagement in the online conversation threads result in the discussion forums being the most frequently completed element of the course. Even if a student misses an assignment or assessment, they seem to prioritize the discussion forums as a way to engage with their instructor and each other.

Feedback is vital to student success, as it provides a way to evaluate student learning in alignment with learning objectives. Native American students desire feedback with any submitted work, particularly as it affects their grade and overall success in the course (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020). In order to build confidence while also promoting continued improvement, feedback should be provided in a timely manner (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). Boettcher & Conrad (2016) continue by noting that students “may become demotivated if they do not receive feedback when expected.” Feedback does not need to be immediate but should be received before the next deliverable is due to ensure students are building on their learning and understanding throughout the course. TCU students view feedback as a matter of respect, meeting a central tenet of their core expectations in an online course (Hunt & Oyarzun, 2020).

Feedback should also be specific and substantive (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). Feedback that is brief, rote, or impersonal does not advance student learning or build student confidence. However, feedback that affirms student strengths, encourages specific content connection or application, and addresses challenges the student experienced in meeting the expectations will help the student know what to stop, start, and continue doing in their work. Students want to know what they did well and what they should continue doing. They also need to know what to start doing to increase their success, as well as what to stop doing that inhibits their academic journey. Finally, feedback should be connected to the learning objectives and any identified rubric or evaluation criteria (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). Hunt & Oyarzun (2020) note that the feedback should be relevant to Native American culture and values, helping students build their knowledge and understanding as they express their identity. It also must be noted that feedback should be provided in a private area, directly between the student and the faculty member. Grading related feedback is not appropriate in the discussion forums or other publicly accessed content.

It is a best practice to establish feedback timeliness as part of course expectations; students know that their work will be due by the stated deadline, and in return, faculty should commit to providing feedback to them within 72 hours of the deadline. Faculty should work to build rubrics for all assignments and utilize rubrics to provide specific feedback in alignment with each learning objective identified, as well as overall feedback on student progress and encouragement for future submissions. Additionally, TCU faculty should incorporate the student’s name into their feedback to help personalize it and elaborate beyond “good job” and “nice work” types of sentiments. Finally, faculty should connect the feedback to cultural traditions and values, helping Native American students affirm their identity within their submitted work.

There are several documented best practices for online course facilitation. These strategies are summarized based on the literature primarily from Boettcher & Conrad (2016), Farmakis & Kaulbach (2013), Hunt & Oyarzun (2020), and Nilson & Goodson (2018), as well as personal experience. First, start the course with an instructor introduction. Instructors should tell their students about themselves! TCU instructors should personalize their introduction, informing students more about who they are before relating the academic and career experience that qualifies them to teach the course. This is even more effective if it is a video introduction, so students can see and hear their instructor, feeling like they get to know their faculty guides in a more personal way.

Video is recommended not only during the introduction, but throughout the course. Whether sharing other video content or recording yourself, brief videos can help illustrate course concepts. Native American students feel more supported when an instructor uses video to facilitate course content, as videos help build rapport and increase familiarity between students and faculty. Videos should be short. Students will lose interest if the video is longer than five minutes.

Within a TCU course, students need to know how to succeed. Faculty should set expectations early, and ensure they are clearly understood. It is recommended that faculty start the course with a brief explanation of the syllabus, including a statement of expectations and course policies, then request that students confirm their understanding. Better yet, faculty can include a brief syllabus and course policy quiz at the start of the term. Additionally, faculty should tell students how they can be successful. Give students a roadmap, including a suggested rhythm for participation in the course.

Native American students thrive in an online environment when they know the instructor is available to meet, even if that meeting is via videoconference. To that end, faculty should ensure that students know how to reach them. Faculty must provide their contact information in multiple places and invite students to reach out to them. If it helps to set virtual office hours in your online courses, do so. Even better, invite students to set up a brief introduction videoconference at the start of each term so faculty can engage in a synchronous conversation with each student.

Finally, TCU faculty must promote respect and establish community in the course. More than netiquette, faculty should ensure that the course is inclusive, respectful, and encourages a sense of community amongst the learners. This approach supports Native American learners specifically as the four principles central to their success—respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility—are addressed and fostered by faculty within tribal colleges and universities.

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Distance education provides rich opportunities for tribal college students if faculty are prepared and engaged in the asynchronous experience. By sharing both best practices for distance and online education offerings as well as strategies for instructor engagement throughout a distance delivery course, TCU faculty can identify the tools that will aid them in teaching students, developing their academic skills and knowledge, and preparing them for career placement or advancement.

Faculty responsibilities in an online course include facilitating content, coaching for improvement, and mentoring students. As faculty become skilled in course set-up, ensuring consistency in their courses, and establishing clear guidelines and expectations, Native American students are better prepared to access the content and easily navigate the course with confidence. Additionally, as TCU faculty evidence frequent, consistent interaction in the course and with students with announcements, discussion forum engagement, and timely, substantive feedback to gradable course elements, students will be motivated to engage in the course. It is the responsibility of faculty to invest their time in an online course so students can mirror the behaviors of their academic guides.

Jaime Davis, PhD, is adjunct faculty at Iḷisaġvik College.

References

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de Lima, D.P., Gerosa, M.A., Conte, T.U., & Netto, J.F. (2019). What to Expect, and How to Improve Online Discussion Forums: The Instructors’ Perspective. Journal of Internet Services and Applications, 10(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s13174-019-0120-0

De Zoysa, M.N.K., Hettiarachchi, S.R., Karunanayaka, S.P., & Naidu, S. (2019, September). Orchestrating Knowledge Construction in Peer-Facilitated Online Discussion Forums. Paper presented at the Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning, Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Yang, Y.T.C., Newby, T.J., & Bill, R.L. (2005). Using Socratic Questioning to Promote Critical Thinking Skills Through Asynchronous Discussion Forums in Distance Learning Environments. The American Journal of Distance Education, 19(3), 163–181. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1207/s15389286ajde1903_4