Am I a leader? A phenomenological study of the behaviors and practices instructors use as leaders in higher education courses offered in a virtual setting

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore, through lived experiences, the practices and behaviors instructors use as leaders in courses offered in a virtual setting. The sample for the study included six participants that met the following criteria: taught at least one course online, lived within 50 miles of Houston, Texas, and taught a course face-to-face in the last five years. The online instructors participated in a structured one-on-one interview where three open-ended questions were posed. The themes were segregated into two meta-categories: behavior and practice. The three themes associated with the behavior category were instructor's availability, facilitating interactions, and being a mediator. The four themes associated with the practice category were managing a virtual classroom environment, being a motivator, display of leadership outside the class and modeling course expectations. The importance of addressing this phenomenological study is to enhance the effectiveness of instructors as leaders in virtual courses. One observation derived from the emergent themes was that the behavior and practice categories are inter-connected, and are best enacted together to ensure the most effective instructor leader in a virtual course.