As online professors we don't have the privilege of face-to-face contact with students during which they form impressions of us based on things such as facial expressions, tangible and intangible expressions of caring, and tone of voice. We have to connect with our students in different ways, one of which is what the research calls “instructor presence.” In fact, the presence that we demonstrate is really the first step in the process of connecting with and then influencing our students.
