At its best, autonomy can support deep learning and enhance student motivation. Online learning environments provide tools that allow students to progress at their own pace, revisit materials, and build their understanding flexibly. Yet this freedom can also become a challenge. Without sufficient self-directed learning skills, and in the absence of interaction and guidance, students may experience uncertainty, overload, or even loneliness. Especially in free and fully self-paced online courses, dropout rates are typically high.
A key pedagogical question, therefore, is how to ensure that the student is not left alone. Pedagogical presence refers to designing, guiding, and facilitating the learning process in a way that enables students to achieve meaningful learning outcomes. It is not merely about responding to students’ questions; rather, it emphasizes proactive course design, continuous interaction, and guiding learning.
One approach to achieving this is learning design, which takes into account the specific challenges of independent online learning in advance. In learning design, online courses are built systematically so that students’ progression, the pacing of tasks, and interaction points are planned beforehand. The need for pedagogical presence can thus be anticipated: for example, through clear instructions, step-by-step learning activities, automated feedback mechanisms, and opportunities for interaction that support students at the right moments.
Pedagogical presence does not disappear online - it transforms. Particularly in fully online courses, such as University of Oulu´s studies in micro-entrepreneurship, the structure of the course plays a central role. Presence can be created through sequencing, encouraging and orienting videos, interactive elements, and feedback that makes the teacher’s role visible to students even in a digital environment. Teacher visibility and interaction increase student engagement, motivation, and the quality of the learning experience (Kiikeri 2025; Kullberg & Puranen 2024).
High-quality online learning is therefore not merely independent completion of tasks, but a balance between flexible study and a guided learning process. When pedagogical presence is carefully embedded into a course, online learning can offer not only flexibility but also a sense that the learner is not alone, even when studying entirely online.
In a workshop held at the Pedaforum event in Kuopio on June 3, 2026, learning design was carried out using a phased 90-minute sprint model. The original ABC Learning Design model was modified particularly for designing an independent MOOC course, emphasizing the importance of pedagogical presence and student orientation even further. Points and elements of pedagogical presence were planned and integrated as an integral part of a visually constructed learning pathway. Participants reported insights during the workshop, such as identifying moments when students are likely to need encouragement or more detailed feedback. The systematic approach to design, as well as the use of color-coding, also supported the creation of a pedagogically justified whole.
Writer: Virpi Pietikäinen MA, Educational designer, Kerttu Saalasti Institute, Univeristy of Oulu
Photo: University of Oulu
Sources and further information
Kiikeri, Pia (2025): Mistä syntyy opiskelun ilo verkko-opinnoissa? - Pedagogi
Kullberg, Olesia & Puranen, Pasi (2024): Vuorovaikutuksesta laatua verkkoon! | LAB Open
Pedagoginen läsnäolo MOOC-kursseilla (podcast)
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.