The effect of Twitter posts on students’ perceptions of instructor credibility

Greater numbers of instructors are turning to social networking sites to communicate with students. This study examined whether posting social, scholarly, or a combination of social and scholarly information to Twitter has an impact on the perceived credibility of the instructor. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: a group that viewed social tweets, one that viewed scholarly tweets, and one that viewed a combination of social and scholarly tweets. Participants were then asked questions about the instructor’s perceived credibility. Results show that participants who viewed only the social tweets rated the instructor significantly higher in perceived credibility than the group that viewed only the scholarly tweets. No other significant differences were found among the groups. These results have implications for both teaching and learning, as there is an established link between perceived instructor credibility and positive learning outcomes.     

Fashion in the classroom III: Effects of instructor attire and immediacy in natural classroom interactions

This is the third of three studies using complementary designs to investigate the effects of teacher attire on student perceptions of instructors and instruction in contemporary college classrooms. In line with Studies One and Two, modest effects of attire on perceptions of extroversion and competence were found; however, previous conclusions that instructor attire has little meaningful, predictable effect on ratings of attributes related to either approachability or credibility were reinforced. Student judgements of such attributes were influenced far more by teacher use of immediacy behaviors than by attire. In particular, positive effects resulting from teachers’ choice of formal professional attire were not supported.

This is the final study in a three‐part series designed to investigate the implications of instructor attire in the contemporary college classroom. Interest in this topic was sparked by collegial conversations regarding advice for new teaching assistants: What can they do to enhance credibility, approachability, and teacher evaluations? Does what they wear make a difference?     

Immediacy,humor, power distance,and classroom communication apprehension in Chinese college classrooms

This study investigates classroom communication apprehension in Chinese college classrooms in reference to perceived instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy and humor orientation, and student individual-level power distance. Results of Pearson correlation indicate that both student individual-level power distance and student perceptions of instructor humor orientation are correlated positively and significantly with classroom communication apprehension, but multiple regression analyses suggest that student individual-level power distance is the only effective predictor of classroom communication apprehension. Perceived instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy are not associated significantly with classroom communication apprehension. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for future research are addressed.     

Building and sustaining community in asynchronous learning networks

This article applies the concept of classroom community to asynchronous learning networks (ALNs) by taking on the issue of how best to design and implement a course that fosters community among learners who are physically separated from each other. The following factors that can influence sense of community among distant learners are examined: student–instructor ratio, transactional distance, social presence and instructor immediacy, lurking, social equality, collaborative learning, group facilitation, and self-directed learning.     

The Effects of Videoconferencing,Class Size,and Learner Characteristics on Training Outcomes

ABSTRACT We examined direct and interaction effects of learners' characteristics (cognitive ability, prior knowledge, prior experience, and motivation to learn) and classroom characteristics (videoconferencing and class size) on learning from a 16-week course. A 2times2 quasi-experimental design varied the class size between large (∼60 students) and small (∼30 students) and between traditional classes with the instructor always present and classes taught using a videoconferencing system with the instructor present at each site every other week. Theory regarding instructor immediacy was used to predict that larger and videoconferenced classes would have negative effects on learner reactions and learning, but that highly motivated learners would overcome the negative effects on learning. Interactions between videoconferencing and motivation to learn, and class size and motivation to learn, were found in support of the theory. Research and practice implications are discussed.     

The impact of teacher immediacy and perceived caring on teacher competence and trustworthiness

This research investigated the impact of teacher caring and teacher immediacy on student perceptions of teachers' credibility. While the results of the two studies conducted indicated the presence of strong main effects for teacher caring and immediacy and strong negative effects for teacher non‐caring and nonimmediacy on the various dimensions of teacher credibility (as hypothesized), significant interaction effects were observed between caring and nonimmediacy on both dimensions of credibility studied (competence and trustworthiness). In most cases, when teacher caring was low, whether the teacher was in the immediate or nonimmediate condition made no significant difference—both produced negative perceptions of teacher credibility. In contrast, when teacher caring was high, teacher nonimmediacy significantly lowered perceived credibility. Probing of the interaction results suggested that high verbal caring tends to soften the negative impact of teacher nonimmediacy. The results of these studies demonstrate that teachers should maintain high verbal caring to preserve their credibility in the classroom. Implications for teacher training and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Effects of Supervisor Social Influence,Nonverbal Immediacy,and Biological Sex on Subordinates' Perceptions of Job Satisfaction,Liking, and Supervisor Credibility

This study investigated the impact of supervisor biological sex, power use, and nonverbal immediacy on subordinates' satisfaction, liking for the supervisor, and perceptions of the supervisors' credibility. After viewing video scenarios of male and female supervisors engaging in nonverbally immediate (or nonimmediate) and prosocial (or antisocial) power use, subordinates reported perceptions of satisfaction, affect, and credibility. Results of the 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design indicated significant main effects for supervisor prosocial power and nonverbal immediacy. Although there were interaction effects, the variance accounted for was minimal. Supervisor prosocial power use and nonverbal immediacy were positively and significantly related to subordinates' self-reported satisfaction, liking for the supervisor, and work enjoyment. Supervisor biological sex did not show a relationship to any of the criterion variables. This study demonstrates that supervisors should maintain nonverbal immediacy and frame prosocial-type messages to preserve their credibility in the workplace.     

A generational examination of instructional Facebook use and the effects on perceived instructor immediacy,credibility and student affective learning

This study examined Millennial student perceptions of use of social networking, specifically Facebook, by instructors. Two independent variables were examined: instructor age (Baby Boomer or Millennial) and use of Facebook (utilising a course group site through the service versus not using the service at all). Results revealed that Baby Boomer instructors who used a class Facebook group were rated more highly on mediated immediacy, credibility and affective learning than Baby Boomer or Millennial instructors who did not use Facebook. The role of expectancy violations theory in Millennials’ perceptions of their instructors’ communication is discussed and recommendations are made for future research.     

In your Facebook: Examining Facebook usage as misbehavior on perceived teacher credibility

Teachers sometimes do things that negatively impact their own credibility in classroom settings. One way instructors maintain credibility among students is by keeping a veil between their personal and professional personas. The advent of Facebook presents new challenges for instructors seeking to keep their personal lives private in order to maintain credibility among students. In educational settings, Facebook communications can blur the personal and professional boundaries that students and professors are accustomed to. As such, instructors in higher education sometimes struggle with the implications of ‘friending’ students in the context of social networking. The purpose of this study was to examine whether or not educator usage of Facebook had any impact on student perceptions of instructor credibility. Facebook presence was examined in the context of teacher ‘misbehaviors’ (that is, actions by educators that negatively impact their credibility). A modified version of Teven and McCroskey’s (1997) Source Credibility Instrument was given to a sample of college students (N?=?187) to compare instructors that use Facebook with those who do not. While students appear to be generally accepting of instructor usage of the social tool, some findings suggest that there are probably ways to abuse it in a manner that could lead to negative perceptions of credibility. Ultimately, results from this study indicated that there were no significant differences among student perceptions of instructor credibility based on whether or not an educator used Facebook.     

The Effects of Order of Stimulus Presentation on Ratings of Counseling Performance

This study was designed to examine the effects of order of stimulus presentation on observer ratings of counseling performance. Two videotaped counseling simulations, determined by judges to represent either high or low quality performance, served as the stimuli. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two levels of the order effect: Group 1 viewed the videotape with low quality performance first, followed by the high quality performance videotape; Group 2 viewed the high quality performance videotape first, followed by the low quality performance videotape. Four widely used measures of counseling performance served as dependent measures. Results revealed a statistically significant interaction between quality of performance and the order in which the performances were rated.     

A cross-cultural comparison of instructor communication in American and French classrooms

This study addressed patterns and influence of instructor communication in American (US) and in French classrooms. Significant differences were found for instructor use of power bases, affinity-seeking strategies, and nonverbal immediacy. Significant differences were found in student affective learning, cognitive learning, affect toward instructor, and ratings of instruction between the two cultures. In both cultures, however, student affect toward instructor, cognitive learning, and rating of instruction were significantly correlated with instructor affinity-seeking and instructor nonverbal immediacy. Likewise, instructor use of expert power was significantly correlated with student cognitive learning and ratings of instruction in both cultures.     

Effects of Classroom Technology Policies on Students' Perceptions of Instructors: What is Your Syllabus Saying about You?

The technology policies included on instructors' syllabi vary greatly and, in some cases, may unfavorably influence students' perceptions of the instructor. To examine this hypothesis, we randomly assigned college students enrolled in psychology courses at two different institutions (N = 163) to groups in which they viewed different syllabi for a community psychology course. The syllabi varied by the hypothetical instructor's technology policy (encouraging of appropriate technology use in the classroom, discouraging of all technology use, or a mixture of both) and instructor gender. Results showed that students rated instructors similarly on the Competency/Communication factor across all conditions but rated them significantly lower on the Rapport factor when the syllabus included a discouraging technology policy. Rapport ratings were also associated with students' self-reported dependence on technology. High instructor Rapport was associated with high levels of students' technology dependency in the encouraging technology policy condition (r = .29, p < .05), but low levels of technology dependency in the discouraging condition (r = ?.31, p < .05). Our findings suggest that if instructors include technology policies on their syllabi that restrict inappropriate technology use, they should also indicate situations in which technology use is appropriate.     

Conceptualizing teacher immediacy through the ‘companion’ metaphor

Situated within the critical pedagogic scholarship that deals with the issue of ‘teacher immediacy’, this study proposes an understanding of the practice of pedagogy through the metaphor of ‘companionship’. A friendly individual but not a friend, the instructor is seen here as someone who can connect to college-age students without any visible effort and someone who makes explicit use of the power dynamics in a classroom to foster academic excellence. The companion model is first compared to other pedagogical models that are conceptualized through metaphors (e.g. in loco parentis, ‘teacher-as-entertainer’) and is then evaluated in terms of its potential weaknesses.     

The Impact of Instructional Technology Use,Course Design,and Sex Differences on Students’ Initial Perceptions of Instructor Credibility

This study explores the impact that instructional technology use, course design, and sex differences have on students’ initial perceptions of instructors’ credibility (i.e., competence, trustworthiness, and perceived caring). Participants included 864 students from two Midwestern universities who were randomly assigned to one of 16 experimental conditions (i.e., scenarios) manipulating the use of technology across two types of courses and across two types of instructors (i.e., male and female instructors). Multivariate analyses revealed a two-way interaction effect of technology use by student sex on perceptions of instructor credibility. Follow-up procedures revealed both a curvilinear and a linear effect for technology use on students’ perceptions of instructor competence. In terms of instructor trustworthiness, however, only a curvilinear effect emerged. Finally, the results suggested that technology use has both a curvilinear and a linear effect on perceptions of perceived caring, though the linear effect size was marginal at best. Among the most important implications of this research is the fact that technology use produced the strongest effect size for the perceived caring dimension of instructor credibility.     

Problem-Attack Behavior and Sex,Prior Teaching Experience,and College Preparation of Elementary School Principals

A modified form of Judgment Analysis (JAN) was used as a vehicle for capturing a group or collective teacher effectiveness policy of selected students at the University of Northern Colorado. Regardless of the grouping of students (grade level of students, reasons for taking the course, school or college in which the students were enrolled) one policy emerged. This policy can be described as a student concern for the personal characteristics of the instructor (instructor’s interest and enthusiasm, interpersonal relationships, ability to communicate the subject, ability to interest and motivate students). The instructor’s classroom management characteristics and his professional qualities (attitude, knowledge, and preparation) did not make a significant unique contribution to this policy.     

Instructional practices in reformed undergraduate STEM learning environments: a study of instructor and student behaviors in biology courses

ABSTRACT

Theoretically, organisational culture, instructor training, and learning space design influence how faculty teach STEM courses. Previous studies have used classroom observation protocols to characterise the range of teaching practices in mostly teacher-centered, traditional STEM classrooms. In this study, we examined the classroom behaviour of 13 STEM faculty teaching biology courses in a reformed undergraduate STEM learning environment. Our findings indicate that instructors teaching in this reformed environment guided student learning (58.4?±?1.9%) almost three times more than they presented information (20.0?±?2.2%). Students worked individually or in groups and talked to the whole class (57.1?±?1.8%) 1.5 times more than they received information (35.5?±?1.9%). We found significant positive correlation between ‘instructor presenting’ and ‘students receiving’ information (r?=?0.743, p?=?1.4?×?10^?4) and ‘instructor guiding’ and ‘student working and talking’ in class (r?=?0.605, p?=?7.2?×?10^?5), suggesting that instructors can change their own classroom behaviours and expect concurrent change in their students’ behaviours. Finally, sequencing teaching practices in high active-engagement classrooms showed instructors move and guide student group work and lead whole class discussions before lecturing to students, which could lead to deeper learning of conceptual knowledge. We discuss insights from these findings that have implications for acculturating evidence-based teaching practices in STEM departments.     

Combining peer discussion with instructor explanation increases student learning from in-class concept questions

Use of in-class concept questions with clickers can transform an instructor-centered "transmissionist" environment to a more learner-centered constructivist classroom. To compare the effectiveness of three different approaches using clickers, pairs of similar questions were used to monitor student understanding in majors' and nonmajors' genetics courses. After answering the first question individually, students participated in peer discussion only, listened to an instructor explanation only, or engaged in peer discussion followed by instructor explanation, before answering a second question individually. Our results show that the combination of peer discussion followed by instructor explanation improved average student performance substantially when compared with either alone. When gains in learning were analyzed for three ability groups of students (weak, medium, and strong, based on overall clicker performance), all groups benefited most from the combination approach, suggesting that peer discussion and instructor explanation are synergistic in helping students. However, this analysis also revealed that, for the nonmajors, the gains of weak performers using the combination approach were only slightly better than their gains using instructor explanation alone. In contrast, the strong performers in both courses were not helped by the instructor-only approach, emphasizing the importance of peer discussion, even among top-performing students.