چكيده لاتين
Objective: Modern information and communication technologies have fundamentally transformed educational systems, ushering in new ways for instructors and learners to connect, known as online learning. Given the widespread adoption of online learning, itʹs more crucial than ever to address the specialized aspects of this relatively new field when designing or revising existing curricula. One such specialized aspect is the sense of presence and methods for fostering it. Therefore, this research aimed to design and validate a curriculum model based on the sense of presence in online learning environments.
Materials and Methods: This research was an applied study in terms of its objective and employed a mixed-methods approach for data collection, conducted through a descriptive-survey method. The research initially utilized qualitative methods, followed by quantitative methods. The study was carried out in two main steps: designing the indicators for the nine curriculum elements based on the sense of presence, and validating them. In the first step, a qualitative approach was used to first review the content of relevant documents and literature on the sense of presence. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts to further refine and complete the indicators. This review included all research papers published between 2008 and 2025, in both English and Persian. A total of 53 documents were examined. Additionally, semi-structured interviews concerning the main research question were conducted with 14 influential experts (authors of articles, books, or theses) who were selected using snowball sampling (a network of experts). The data obtained from both the document review and interviews were analyzed concurrently, yielding sub-codes and main codes through the Strauss and Corbin (1998) coding method.
In the second step, to validate the findings from the design phase, a checklist was developed based on the data gathered from the document review and interviews. After establishing its validity (content and face validity) and reliability (Cronbachʹs alpha coefficient), the checklist was distributed among the study sample. The study sample consisted of 19 faculty members and 64 students from the University of Isfahan, selected through purposeful sampling. Data from this part of the research, aimed at validation, were analyzed using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and SPSS software. A score of 0.8 or higher was established as the criterion for validating each item on the checklist.
Discussion and Conclusion: The research findings indicated that the curriculum elements based on the sense of presence, after removing items with low validity, exhibited high validity across all indicators from the perspective of both instructors and students (above 0.8). The findings of the research showed that in each of the elements of the curriculum, it is possible to create a sense of presence by paying attention to a series of solutions. In the element of goals, identifying the basic elements of goals, clarity and transparency in expressing goals in the form of a briefing session, setting goals with the help of learners are among the solutions, In the content element, multimedia content production, cognitive load management in electronic content production, paying attention to the needs and facilities of learners in identifying content elements, increasing the quality and accessibility of content, objectifying and adapting content to the facilities of the online learning environment, In the activities and assignments, Establishing clear and specific guidelines, providing a good example of assignments, designing meaningful
