A decade of research utilizing the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework has unveiled the priority of teaching presence in effective models of online education. The data for this finding are significant, as is the momentum of the CoI in suggesting theoretical and practical implications for implementing contemporary online education. However, questions remain regarding the CoI's proposed 3-dimensions of teaching presence. For example, CoI research to date has for the most part overlooked how online faculty envision their teaching. This study explores these perspectives providing additional conceptual work related to the nature of online teaching presence. These data suggest broadening the definition of the first dimension, design and organization, to include four sets of priorities evident in online course design. Confirming prior research, these interviews also argue for envisioning the CoI's proposed final two dimensions of teaching presence as a single dimension entitled directed facilitation, allowing for a broader combination of roles adopted by online teachers. Finally, the literature on teaching provides a guide for expanding the initial dimensions of teaching presence to include teacher preferences, that is, the variation evidenced in differing educational priorities, pedagogical styles, and even the personalities of online teachers. Two external influences, institutional conditions and disciplinary contexts, although not identified as dimensions, give shape to how these re-conceptualized dimensions of teaching presence are portrayed online.
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