Social Presence

Kreijns et al. (2007) define social presence as “…the perceived degree of illusion that the other in the communication appears to be a real physical person in either an immediate (i.e., real time or synchronous) or a delayed (i.e., time-deferred or asynchronous) communication episode” (p. 185).

Poon (2013) reports that “…students enrolled in blended courses can sometimes have unrealistic expectations. The students in those studies assumed that fewer classes meant less work, had
inadequate time management skills, and experienced problems with accepting responsibility for personal learning. Students in such courses have also reported feeling isolated due to the reduced opportunities for social interaction in a face-to-face classroom environment” (p. 275).

Akcaoglu and Lee (2016) argue that “Social presence is closely linked with the affordances of the online spaces and individual’s perceptions of each other’s immediacy, intimacy, and a sense of group cohesion” (p. 1). The contend that social presence is made up of (1) social space, (2) sociability, and (3) cohesion.

How can you prevent virtual students from feeling isolated?

How do you create social space, sociability, and cohesion in your face to face classes?

How can you create social space, sociability, and cohesion for your virtual students?

Akcaoglu, M., & Lee, E. (2016). Increasing social presence in online learning through small group discussions. The international review of research in open and distributed learning, 17(3). Retrieved from: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/download/2293/3731

Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P. A., Jochems, W., & Van Buuren, H. (2007). Measuring perceived sociability of computer-supported collaborative learning environments. Computers & Education, 49(2), 176– 192. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2005.05.004

Poon, J. (2013). Blended learning: An institutional approach for enhancing students’ learning experiences. Journal of online learning and teaching, 9(2), 271-288. Retrieved from: https://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30057995/poon-blendedlearning-2013.pdf