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Investigation into Undergraduates’ Experiences of Social Presence in Online Learning
International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)
Online learning always piques the interest of scholars because of the potential outcomes. Social presence is associated with the degree of participation, interaction, and performance among collaborative group members and, therefore, is considered a critical variable for learning. Researchers have observed that for online learning to work well, students must feel connected to their peers and teachers. Social presence connects the real and online worlds, putting an online learner in touch with the teacher and other online learners. This study aims to investigate the interrelationships between social presence dimensions and cognitive presence, explore the critical social presence dimension influencing cognitive presence, and explore students’ experiences of social presence in online learning. The findings showed that social presence greatly influenced cognitive presence. However, affective collectiveness, open communication, and a sense of community were correlated and positively impac...
Students social presence in online learning: a review
2014
One of the most highlighted issue in online learning as mentioned by Badrinathan and Gole (2011), is the teacher or instructor is responsible to ensure that interaction occurs among students. The interaction plays important role to encourage students to share opinion, think and argue critically, and respond towards peer’s reflection via computer mediated communication (CMC). To support the idea of having interactive and meaningful communication, Short et al (1976) had promoted a theory called social presence. This theory has then been frequently implemented and selected to be the core subject experimented in previous studies (Richardson & Swan, 2003; Rourke et.al, 1999; Wenger, 1998; Tu, 2001; Saenz, 2002; Lapadat, 2003; Sung & Mayer, 2012). As a result, Cobb (2009) clarifies that social presence should be nurtured for the successful of online learning.
Raising Student Social Presence in Online Classes
2001
Distance and online education is increasing in importance in the offerings of many universities. As this occurs, instructors are developing ways to use new media to support traditional teaching practices. This is an important effort, as online education is still viewed with a degree of skepticism by some. By successfully transferring accepted teaching practice into online education, instructors are helping to demonstrate that online education can be of high quality. Some instructors are also developing different teaching practices to take advantage of the new media. This too .is important, because the technologies of online education may support learning strategies that are not feasible in traditional teaching modes. A subject of importance in both efforts is that of student social presence. Social presence, or the perceived saliency of members of the online group, may be important to the satisfaction of students in online classes. This paper explores issues relating to social presence in online classes and suggests ways to increase student social presence in online classes. The relative richness of seven media types (face-to-face, video conferencing, synchronous audio, text-based chat, e-mail, asynchronous audio, and threaded discussion) is ranked according to four criteria (feedback, multiple cues, message. tailoring, and emotions). (Contains 17 references.) (Author/MES) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
The Use of Online Collaborative Tools and Student Perception of Social Presence
The researchers explored the Community of Inquiry framework and how collaborative technologies, specifically wikis, can be used to impact student perception of social presence in online learning. The subjects were 78 graduate education students in three differently contrived sections of the same online course. Participants completed the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Survey at the end of the term measuring their perceived level of teaching, social, and cognitive presence during the course. The experimental setting utilized a single instructor teaching one course, and randomly assigned students. Each section had students collaborate using a different tool (synchronous wiki, asynchronous wiki, and discussion board). All subjects perceived high levels of the three presences when compared with previous studies. Students collaborating using an asynchronous wiki perceived significantly more social presence than those using only a discussion board. Specifically, students perceived greater levels of trust and group cohesion when the course design incorporated a wiki for small group collaboration.
Online Learning: Social Interaction and the Creation of a Sense of Community
J. Educ. Technol. Soc., 2004
This paper centres on the sense of isolation that online study may engender among learners, a factor often ignored by many educators, but one that may make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful online learning environment for many students. The importance of a proper appreciation of the learners’ social context is stressed, as is the concept of the ‘virtual self’ that individual learners may choose to portray during online communication. The authors suggest three protocols that can be built into the fabric of online courses in order that a sense of community may be enabled to exist, and productive social interaction can occur. These are (1) the greater use of synchronous communication facilities (in addition to, rather than instead of, asynchronous ones), (2) the deliberate design and inclusion of a ‘forming’ stage, or ‘warm-up’ period, incorporated as an essential component into the course structure, and (3) a much greater emphasis on the provision of (and adheren...
Building Relationship Through Learning Communities and Participation in Online Learning Environments
Handbook of Research on Strategic Management of Interaction, Presence, and Participation in Online Courses
With the increase demand for distance education, institutions of higher education are actively exploring opportunities to weave self, subject and students for web based distance education. The pedagogical skills necessary to create effective active learning opportunities are explored throughout this chapter as well as lessons learned from research. The authors used vignettes to position effective course design and implementation aligned with both Bloom's Taxonomy and the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition) model to enhance online learning environments. Learning objectives and course goals provided direction for developing task for social presence, cognitive presence and a collaborative stance in authentic online learning.
Education and Information Technologies, 2012
Nowadays, online learning has become a popular option for students because of its flexibility and more online programs are customized to students' needs. Among all the factors that affect students' online learning experience, social presence is worth much study considering the asynchronous nature of online learning and communication issues between online instructors and students. This paper reviews the origin, major definitions of social presence and research studies throughout history. Authors also document arguments of the optimal amount of social presence and provide instructional design suggestions for the development of online social presence. Further trends for social presence studies are also proposed at the end of the article.
Developing and Evaluating Social Presence in the Online Learning Environment
This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study conducted at University of New England, Australia during 2010 that measured the perceptions of management students regarding their online learning experiences, particularly the development of social presence by lecturers in this environment. An online survey was emailed to postgraduate, off-campus students and undergraduate, on-and off-campus students who are enrolled in a coursework degree in management. Results suggested that social presence is a niche area that needs lecturers attention, specifically discussion boards and chat rooms receiving relatively low evaluations. Then the paper moves to discuss strategies that have been developed in four Marketing units during 2011-12 by embracing social presence related activities in order to enhance the effectiveness of the learning experience in the online environment.
Strategies for Building Community among Learners in Online Courses
College Teaching, 2020
Building relationships and community in online courses can be challenging, particularly if those courses are also limited by tight time constraints. In this brief commentary, I share some of the strategies that helped me to build relationships with students over distance and within a limited timeframe, including organization, communication, and use of social media. I provide examples from my teaching to illuminate the specifics and effectiveness of each strategy.