The relationship between social presence and cognitive load

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-182
Author(s):  
Jamie Costley
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Germane Cognitive Load ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Spearman’S Correlation

Purpose As online learning has become more prevalent, how learners interact with each other in those learning environments has become more salient. To develop effective levels of interaction, students must feel comfortable to express their ideas and views. For this reason, this paper aims to look at how individual students’ levels of social presence affect germane cognitive load. Germane cognitive load is the amount that students are able to construct schema and can be seen as analogous to learning. Design/methodology/approach This study looks at the results of survey data (n = 433) that investigate the relationship between social presence and germane cognitive load. The students were surveyed from the Open Cyber University of Korea in the fall semester of 2018. Findings The present study found a statistically significant positive relationship between social presence and germane cognitive load. The study found a Spearman’s correlation coefficient of 0.595. Furthermore, the sample was divided into a high, medium and low grouping of social presence. Among these groupings, the high level social presence had the highest level of germane cognitive load, and the low level social presence had the lowest level of germane cognitive load. Originality/value This result shows the importance and value of developing levels of social presence in online environments. Some research has shown relationships between student interaction and learning, but the present study looks directly at social presence and germane cognitive load. From this research, the authors can see the value of encouraging higher levels of social interaction in online learning environments.

Using cognitive strategies overcomes cognitive load in online learning environments

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-228
Author(s):  
Jamie Costley
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to look at the relationship between extraneous cognitive load and germane cognitive load and how the use of cognitive learning strategies might moderate the relationship. Design/methodology/approach This present study used survey data (n = 440) from randomly selected students taking large online classes in South Korea. Findings This research found a negative relationship between extraneous and germane loads. Furthermore, this study found that the use of cognitive strategies moderates this relationship. This shows that the use of cognitive strategies can help overcome unclear instruction and help to produce higher levels of student learning. Originality/value Within online learning environments, the degree to which nonessential information contributes to cognitive overload among learners becomes an important area of investigation, along with the ways in which learning strategies can mitigate some of this overload.

Being online: social presence as subjectivity in online learning

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kehrwald
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
The Relationship

This article discusses the relationship between social presence and subjectivity in online learning environments. Drawing from views of subjectivity synthesised by de Sousa and an exploratory study into online social presence (by Kehrwald), the presentation identifies the links between various forms of subjectivity and the operation of social presence. The conclusions highlight the benefits of explicitly associating subjectivity with social presence in online learning and some of the key implications for online learning practice.

Private Interactions in Online Discussions

2020 ◽  
pp. 351-379
Author(s):  
Lesley Wilton ◽  
Rubaina Khan ◽  
Clare Brett ◽  
Paul C. Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Private Communication ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Discussion Threads ◽  
Education Courses

Private discussion entries (called “notes” in this chapter) provide opportunities for instructors to engage with students for social and cognitive support in discussion-based online learning environments. Situated within discussion threads, embedded private communication allows for personalized engagement with students to support learning through in-place feedback, redirection, and encouragement. Nine themes of the affordances of private notes were identified through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered from four instructors and the activities of 278 students in 11 online graduate education courses. The benefits of private, in-place interactions identified by the instructors include encouraging authentic participation, building trust and social presence, redirecting conversation, providing advice about learning online, and more. A discussion of the importance of in-place private communications in online learning for providing feedback, reassurance, and guidance is supported by examples and followed by suggestions for future research.

Electronic Classroom, Electronic Community

2010 ◽  
pp. 439-456
Author(s):  
Lisa Harris
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Electronic Classroom ◽  
Electronic Community ◽  
Quality Learning ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
The Relationship

The capacity for online learning environments to provide good quality learning experiences for students has been the focus of speculation and debate in the higher education sector from the late 1990s to the present day. In this area, “quality” has become synonymous with engaging students in a learning community. This chapter reports on a qualitative research project designed to explore the significance of community for students studying online. Using three fundamentally different types of online learning environments as case studies, this research explored the relationship between the constructed online learning environment and the development of learning communities or what the author has termed social learning support networks (SLSN). Exploring the common themes to emerge from these three case studies, this research provides new evidence of the benefit of community for students studying online and argues that future online learning environments should be shaped by five key principles designed to foster a sense of social connection between students.

A Mixed Methods Examination of Instructor Social Presence in Accelerated Online Courses

2016 ◽  
pp. 147-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Ryan Lowenthal
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Being There

Social Presence theory seeks to explain how people present themselves as being “there” and “real” while using a communication medium. Most studies on social presence focus on how students present themselves and/or are perceived as being “there” and “real” in computer-mediated environments. However, to date, very few studies have focused on how instructors establish and maintain their own social presence in online learning environments. The following study explored the phenomenon of instructor social presence in accelerated online courses. The results suggest that the construct of presence is more complicated than previously thought and that future studies should employ multiple methods to further explore the concept of instructor social presence.

A Mixed Methods Examination of Instructor Social Presence in Accelerated Online Courses

2016 ◽  
pp. 949-963
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Lowenthal
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Multiple Methods ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Computer Mediated ◽  
Being There

Social Presence theory seeks to explain how people present themselves as being “there” and “real” while using a communication medium. Most studies on social presence focus on how students present themselves and/or are perceived as being “there” and “real” in computer-mediated environments. However, to date, very few studies have focused on how instructors establish and maintain their own social presence in online learning environments. The following study explored the phenomenon of instructor social presence in accelerated online courses. The results suggest that the construct of presence is more complicated than previously thought and that future studies should employ multiple methods to further explore the concept of instructor social presence.

Relationships in Online Learning Experiences

2020 ◽  
pp. 140-152
Author(s):  
Robyn J. Emde ◽  
Erin Kathleen Doherty ◽  
Bradley ‘Scott' Ellis ◽  
Dina Flynt
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Environment ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Program Of Study ◽  
Personal Investment ◽  
The Relationship

A relationship is documented as a personal investment in another's life. Relationships add to learning environments as substantial to the growth of students. In an online learning environment, a relationship is defined by the mutual agreement between an educator and a learner in which expectations of increased knowledge gained through the education experience provided by the educator. It is evident that in an online environment it is vital to consistently evaluate in order to have the enrichment of relationships between student to professors and student to student. Research has shown that the creation of such environments results in a feeling of community and social presence for the students. Student satisfaction extends to the relationship students feel toward their professors. The strength of the student to professor relationship results in a key component in student retention. The method in which the relationships are established and built in an online environment are vital for student satisfaction and retention of students within a program of study.

The Importance of Social Presence and Strategies for Incorporating It Into an Online Course

2020 ◽  
pp. 107-122
Author(s):  
Joshua Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Course Delivery ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Interactions

As with any mode of course delivery, there are both positives and negatives to online learning. There are the commonly cited positive features of online learning like the removal of geographic restrictions and scheduling barriers. Limitations may include unfamiliarity for those new to online learning and misunderstandings resulting from the transition from primarily face-to-face interactions to only online interactions. One of the nice things about online learning environments is that many of the possible drawbacks can be countered turning them into strength. Building a strong social presence in an online course can help with this. This chapter discusses three categories of strategies for building a social presence; ice breakers, netiquette activities, and discussion activities.

The Evolution and Influence of Social Presence Theory on Online Learning

2010 ◽  
pp. 124-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick R. Lowenthal
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Intuitive Appeal

The theory of social presence is perhaps the most popular construct used to describe and understand how people socially interact in online learning environments. However, despite its intuitive appeal, researchers and practitioners alike often define and conceptualize this popular construct differently. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between whether someone is talking about social interaction, immediacy, intimacy, emotion, and/or connectedness when they talk about social presence. Therefore, this chapter outlines the evolution of the construct of social presence in an effort to understand better its relationship to online learning.

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