EXAMINING SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSES IN RELATION TO STUDENTS' PERCEIVED LEARNING AND SATISFACTION

Authors

  • Jennifer C. Richardson
  • Karen Swan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v7i1.1864

Keywords:

Distance Learning, Interaction, Social Presence, Learning Effectiveness, Student Satisfaction, Faculty Satisfaction, Perceived Learning, Asynchronous Learning, Computer-Mediated Learning, Computermediated Communications

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that social presence not only affects outcomes but also student, and possibly instructor, satisfaction with a course. Teacher immediacy behaviors and the presence of others are especially important issues for those involved in delivering online education. This study explored the role of social presence in online learning environments and its relationship to students’ perceptions of learning and satisfaction with the instructor. The participants for this study were students who completed Empire State College’s (ESC) online learning courses in the spring of 2000 and completed the end of semester course survey (n=97). A correlational design was utilized. This study found that students with high overall perceptions of social presence also scored high in terms of perceived learning and perceived satisfaction with the instructor. Students’ perceptions of social presence overall, moreover, contributed significantly to the predictor equation for students’ perceived learning overall. Gender accounted for some of the variability of students’ overall perception of social presence, while age and number of college credits earned did not account for any of the variability.

References

Moore, A., Masterson, J.T., Christophel, D.M., and Shea, K.A. (1996). College teacher immediacy and student ratings of instruction. Communication Education, 45, 29-39.

Berge, Z.L. and Collins, M. (1995). (Eds.) Computer-mediated communication and the online classroom. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.

Harasim, L.N., Hiltz, S.R., Teles, L., and Turoff, M. (1995). Learning networks: A field guide to teaching and learning online. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Rourke, L., Anderson, T., Garrison, D.R., and Archer, W. (2001). Assessing social presence in asynchronous text-based computer conferencing. Journal of Distance Education, 14 (2).

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., and Zvacek, S. (2000). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Jiang, M. and Ting, E. (2000). A study of factors influencing students' perceived learning in a web-based course environment. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 6(4), 317-338.

Ward, M., and Newlands, D. (1998). Use of the Web in undergraduate teaching. Computers and Education, 31(2), 171-184.

Matthews, D. (1999). The origins of distance education and its use in the United States. T.H.E. Journal, 27 (2), 54-66.

Swan, K., Shea, P., Frederickson, E., Pickett, A. Pelz, W., and Maher, G. (2000). Building knowledge building communities: Consistency, contact, and communication in the virtual classroom. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 23 (4), 389-413.

Jiang, M. (1998). Distance Learning in a Web-based Environment. (Doctoral dissertation, University at Albany/SUNY, 1998). UMI Dissertation Abstracts, No. 9913679.

Harasim, L.M. (1990). Online education: Perspectives on a new environment. New York: Praeger.

Berge, Z.L. (1997). Computer conferencing and the online classroom. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 3 (1).

Kozma, R. (1987). The implications of cognitive psychology for computer-based learning tools. Educational Technology, XXVII (11), 20-25.

Morley, I. and Stephenson, G. (1969). Interpersonal and interparty exchange: A laboratory simulation of an industrial negotiation at the plant level. British Journal of Psychology, 61, 383.

Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations: A dual-coding approach. New York: Oxford University Press.

Bullen, M. (1998). Participation and critical thinking in online university distance education. Journal of Distance Education 13(2), 1-32.

Picciano, A.G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction, presence, and performance in an online course. Journal of Asynchronous Learning, 6 (1). http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v6n1/v6n1_picciano.asp.

Polhemus, L., Shih, L-F., Richardson, J.C. and Swan, K. (2000). Building an affective learning community: Social presence and learning engagement. Paper presented at the World Conference on the WWW and the Internet (WebNet); San Antonio, TX.

Short, J., Williams, E., and Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications. London: John Wiley and Sons.

Gunawardena, C.N. (1995). Social presence theory and implications for interaction and collaborative learning in computer conferences. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1(2/3), 147-166.

Gunawardena, C.N. and Zittle, F.J. (1997). Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer-mediated conferencing environment. The American Journal of Distance Education, 11(3), 8-26.

Wiener, M. and Mehrabian, A. (1968). Language within Language: Immediacy, a channel in verbal communication. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Christophel, D.M. and Gorham, J. (1995). A test-retest analysis of student motivation, teacher immediacy, and perceived sources of motivation and demotivation in college classes. Communication Education, 44, 292-306.

Christophel, D.M. (1990). The relationships among teacher immediacy behaviors, student motivation, and learning. Communication Education, 39, 323-340.

Gorham, J. (1988). The relationship between verbal teacher immediacy behaviors and student learning. Communication Education, 37, 40-53.

McCroskey, J.C., Sallinen, A., Fayer, J.M., Richmond, V.P., and Barraclough, R.A. (1996). Nonverbal immediacy and cognitive learning: A cross-cultural investigation. Communication Education, 45, 200-211.

Kearney, P., Plax, T.G., and Wendt-Wasco, N.J. (1985). Teacher immediacy for affective learning in divergent college classes. Communication Quarterly, 33(1), 61-74.

Gorham, J. and Zakahi, W.R. (1990). A comparison of teacher and student perceptions of immediacy and learning: Monitoring process and product. Communication Education, 39, 354-368.

Kelley, D.H. and Gorham, J. (1988). Effects of immediacy on recall of information. Communication Education, 37, 198-207.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Slavin. R. (1983). Cooperative Learning. New York: Longman, 1983.

Sharan, S. (1980). Cooperative Learning in Small Groups: Recent Methods and Effects on Achievement, Attitudes, and Ethnic Relations. Review of Educational Research, 50, 241-271.

Hackman, M.Z. and Walker, K.B. (1990). Instructional communication in the televised classroom: The effects of system design and teacher immediacy on student learning and satisfaction. Communication Education, 39, 196-206.

Boverie, P., Nagel, L., McGee, M. and Garcia, S. (1997). Learning styles, emotional intelligence and social presence as predictors of distance education student satisfaction. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 410 810).

Acker, S. (1994). Gendered Education: Sociological Reflections on Women, Teaching and Feminism. Philadelphia: Open University Press.

Blackmore, J. and Kenway, J. (eds) (1993), Gender Matters in Educational Administration and Policy-a feminist introduction, Falmer Press, London.

Nicholson, L. (1980). Women and Schooling. Educational Theory, 30(3): 225-234.

Gall, M.D., Borg, W.R., and Gall, J.P. (1996). Educational research (sixth edition). White Plains, NY: Longman Publishers.

Downloads

Published

2019-03-19

Issue

Section

Empirical Studies