The Value of Social Presence in Developing Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online Environments

2015 ◽  
pp. 120-132
Author(s):  
Michael Marmon
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Transactional Distance ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Transactional Distance Theory ◽  
History Of

As humanity continues into the twenty-first century, online or distance education is emerging as a viable alternative to the learning that is occurring in traditional university-level learning environments. While there is little difference in the quality of learning and information being presented between these two methods, there are distinct differences in the interactions occurring between students and instructors. Specifically, the presence of physical geographic distance creates a feeling of isolation in the minds of the students participating in these online learning environments. This chapter examines the concept of isolation through the lens of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, which offers an explanation for why such attitudes permeate in this method of instructing students. Moreover, by discussing the history of the medium and the importance of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, it is possible determine the best practices and procedures for creating a feeling of social presence in online learning environments.

The Value of Social Presence in Developing Student Satisfaction and Learning Outcomes in Online Environments

2016 ◽  
pp. 1551-1564
Author(s):  
Michael Marmon
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Geographic Distance ◽  
Transactional Distance ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Transactional Distance Theory ◽  
History Of

As humanity continues into the twenty-first century, online or distance education is emerging as a viable alternative to the learning that is occurring in traditional university-level learning environments. While there is little difference in the quality of learning and information being presented between these two methods, there are distinct differences in the interactions occurring between students and instructors. Specifically, the presence of physical geographic distance creates a feeling of isolation in the minds of the students participating in these online learning environments. This chapter examines the concept of isolation through the lens of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, which offers an explanation for why such attitudes permeate in this method of instructing students. Moreover, by discussing the history of the medium and the importance of Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, it is possible determine the best practices and procedures for creating a feeling of social presence in online learning environments.

scholarly journals Breaking the ice: Supporting collaboration and the development of community online

2006 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Dixon ◽  
Heather Crooks ◽  
Karen Henry
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Transactional Distance ◽  
Collaborative Relationships ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Early Results ◽  
Recommendations For Practice ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
University Undergraduates

This study explores the concept of transactional distance, a term coined by Moore (1993), which relates to the distance that exists in all learning relationships and can be more evident and potentially problematic in online learning environments. Reducing this psychologically perceived distance to help learners develop social presence in support of collaborative relationships and the development of community in online learning environments is the purpose of this research. Icebreakers are fun activities that help people get to know each other. These activities can potentially ameliorate the perceived distance in online learning environments. Two author-developed icebreakers were used in a preliminary study involving university undergraduates and instructors in online environments. Respondents took part in an icebreaker at the start of a semester and at the mid-point after which they completed a questionnaire about perceived value of icebreakers. Early results were positive and have led to recommendations for 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.

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.

Improving the Quality of Online Learning Environments

2017 ◽  
pp. 278-300
Author(s):  
Komar Parveen Khan
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Specific Model ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Design Models ◽  
Design For Learning

In spite of the numerous changes in technology in the past decades, designers continue to utilize traditional instructional design models as a foundation for designing teaching and learning materials, which may not be suited for the design and development of online learning environments. A study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of an online-specific design model called Proactive Design for Learning (PD4L) (Sims, 2012; Sims & Jones, 2003) and its ability to address limitations of traditional design models. The study was conducted to examine in what ways the PD4L model would contribute to enhance the quality of online learning. Based on this research, this chapter will be able to provide readers with ideas on the ways the elements of an online specific model can serve as design guidelines, a framework or “a set of guiding principles” (Sims, 2011) for designers and developers to create quality teaching and learning environments.

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 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.

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