Cultivating Instructor/Student Connections in Online Classes: Carl Rogers and the Community of Inquiry Framework

• In Event: Making Space for Learner Interaction in Online Courses

Abstract

The ongoing research described herein is investigating ways for instructors to use Carl Rogers’ person-centered strategies to build connections with students. The specific study focused on used correlation analysis to investigate connections between instructors use of indicators of empathy, high regard, unconditionality and genuineness in feedback to students and student perceptions of their instructors’ use of the strategies (BLRI) and of cognitive, teaching, and social presence (CoI survey). The only correlations found among the data were between indicators of high regard in instructor feedback and student perceptions of cognitive presence, and between indicators of unconditionality and student perceptions of social presence. Implications of these findings and corresponding directions for future research will be discussed.

Authors

• Brian Chen, University of Illinois Springfield

• Leonard R. Bogle, University of Illinois Springfield

• Denise K Sommers, RETIRED