Learning in the Liminal Space: Reflections on Teaching Doctoral Telepresence Distance Learners

• In Event: Utilizing Telepresence for Distance Learning in Doctoral Programs: Perspectives, Affordances, and Challenges

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes

The purpose of this study was to examine my experience as a first-year professor teaching an EdD cohort that included telepresence distance learners (TDLs). I specifically focus on my experience attempting to develop pedagogy and praxis to support TDLs. One RQ guided this inquiry: What are the experiences of and challenges for a first-year faculty member in an EdD program that uses telepresence for distance learning?

Guiding Theory

I used liminal space theory to frame this inquiry. Liminal space is a “deeply reflective” state where the learner moves through a “transformational landscape,” which can be uncomfortable and include an “unsettling of identity” (Simmons et al., 2013, pp. 9-10, 17). The struggle through this space leads to “troubled knowing” where the leaner must learn to “become comfortable being in a nexus of discomfort” (Simmons et al., 2013, p. 12). I existed within a liminal space during my first year of teaching TDLs.

Mode of Inquiry

This study is an autoethnography of my work as a first-year professor teaching EdD courses with TDLs. Autoethnography allowed me to position myself simultaneously as the researcher and the subject of the research (Wallace, 2013). This positioning afforded me the opportunity to explore my experience teaching students using telepresence, identify the challenges, and consider opportunities for faculty using telepresence for distance learning in doctoral education. The data described below were coded using thematic analysis (Nowell et al., 2017).

Data Sources

In autoethnography, the researcher “retrospectively and selectively writes about meaningful experiences…that are made possible by being part of a culture and from possessing a particular cultural identity” (Adams & Ellis, 2011, p. 199). The data sources that support this autoethnography included documents and artifacts from my work as a professor within an EdD program that uses TDLs. These sources include analytic memos, notes taken from three dialogic discussions with the community of practice, and my course evaluations.

Conclusions

When viewed from a liminal space lens, it becomes apparent that my pedagogical and instructional learning was unguided, nebulous, and is ongoing. Teaching TDLs was initially uncomfortable and included challenges like: a lack of training in DL or telepresence pedagogy or time for researching TDL teaching strategies or solutions to logistical challenges. Through this inquiry, I have realized that developing relationships with TDLs and between the TDLs and in-person students is important for doctoral student success (Tinto, 1993) and have thus adopted an ethic of care (Noddings, 1984/2013) as a starting point. However, I still exist in a liminal space.

Scholarly Significance

COVID-19 has transformed learning in higher education, and this reality—combined with a recent increase in EdD programs (Perry, 2015)—provides a pivotal opportunity for doctoral programs to safely, effectively, and creatively include TDL students. However, as my experience demonstrates, EdD faculty may need training to fully realize the opportunities telepresence offers for doctoral education. Future research can investigate and disseminate best practices for teaching doctoral student TDLs.

Author

• Sarah Capello, Radford University