Exploring the relationship between teaching presence, self-regulation, and co-regulation in online courses

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30i3.5236

Keywords:

Online courses, teaching presence, self-regulation, co-regulation, regulated learning

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between teaching presence and students’ self- and co-regulation, in online learning courses. Data were collected from 283 students enrolled in online courses using the Teaching Presence Scale of the Community of Inquiry survey and a Shared Metacognition Questionnaire. Descriptive analyses revealed that students perceived their instructor’s course design practices, particularly clear communication of goals, deadlines, and instructions, as the most influential component of teaching presence in enhancing their learning experiences. Students reported strong self-regulation, especially in maintaining awareness of effort and motivation. For co-regulation, while students recognized the importance of considering and listening to peer feedback, the greater variability in these ratings suggested differing levels of value placed on these collaborative practices. Regression analyses showed that both course design and facilitation significantly predicted self-regulation, explaining 25.9% of its variance, whereas facilitation alone predicted co-regulation, accounting for 26% of its variance.  These findings emphasize the importance of intentional course design and active facilitation in fostering self-regulation and co-regulation in online courses. The study contributes to advancing the Community of Inquiry framework by integrating metacognitive constructs and offers actionable strategies for designing online courses that promote autonomy and shared responsibility for learning.

Author Biography

Ayesha Sadaf, University of North Carolina Charlotte

Ayesha Sadaf is an Associate Professor in Learning, Design and Technology at University of North Carolina Charlotte. She previously directed and taught in graduate programs at Ball State University. She received her Doctorate in Learning Design and Technology and Master's degrees in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University. Her research focuses on promoting a learner-centered approach to instruction using emerging technologies and innovative strategies in digital learning environments to support student high-level learning, critical thinking, cognitive presence, collaborative learning, and student engagement.

Dr. Sadaf has more than 20 years of experience in designing, developing, and teaching courses in online, hybrid, and face-to-face formats. Her teaching experiences inform her research, demonstrating a process that emphasizes theory-into-practice. In recognition of her research informed practice, she received the 2013, 2015, and 2022 Distance Education Best Practice Awards from the Association of Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) and the 2016 Effective Practice Award from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC).

She has served as the President of the Division of Distance Learning for the Association for Educational Communications and Technology and Vice President of Online services for the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Charlotte. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Research on Technology in Education.

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Published

2026-09-01

How to Cite

Sadaf, A., & Zhang, S. (2026). Exploring the relationship between teaching presence, self-regulation, and co-regulation in online courses. Online Learning, 30(3), 184–209. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v30i3.5236