Impact of instructor on-slide presence in synchronous e-learning

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many higher education programs had to switch to synchronous online teaching. Teachers suddenly faced pressing unaddressed challenges, such as how to better transfer their “presence” from the traditional classroom to the online space in a way that keeps students engaged. This paper explores new venues for increasing the quality of synchronous online learning. We propose the notion of broad on-slide presence, pillared on an increased instructor expressiveness and an elevated instructor slide-content interaction. We conducted four studies to investigate the benefits of delivering lectures in this format, using a mixed methods research approach. We combined survey methodology with transversal design and structural equation modelling with qualitative methodology using discourse analysis of teacher interviews. Results revealed a significant increase in perceived knowledge gain and attentional engagement, and an improved and more personal student experience. At the same time, the instructor’s broader on-slide presence also resulted in an increased teacher satisfaction.