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In an effort to determine how best to connect to their online graduate students, the authors analyzed student perspectives of connections with their instructors using a mixed-methods instrument. Participants for this study included 86 graduate students enrolled in an online master’s program in the United States who provided perspectives on student-instructor connections via qualitative questions. Since student-instructor connections are key to retention in both physical and online classrooms, the ultimate goal of the researchers was to determine how students made connections with their instructors through the provided technology. Existing literature regarding studentinstructor connections consistently notes the importance of ‘‘instructor presence’’ in an online environment. The results of this study confirm that instructor presence can exist in the online classroom. Participants offered the perspective that course homepages, discussion boards, and other aspects represented the extent to which the instructor was “present” in class. Ideas for improving instructor presence are offered. The authors suggest particular instructional methods to establish student-instructor connections that may be more effective than other methods.

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