University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

- “the ability of learners to project their personal characteristics into the community of inquiry, thereby presenting themselves as ‘real people’” (Garrison, Cleveland-Innes, & Vaughan, 2001). 
Social Presence is evident through three indicators: affect, open communication and group cohesion. 
- "the degree of salience of the other person in the interaction and the consequent salience of the interpersonal relationships.” (Williams, Short, Christie, 1976)
- “the degree to which a person is perceived as a ‘real person’ in
mediated communication" (Gunawardena, 1995)
- "definitions of social presence tend to lie on a continuum where a focus on interpersonal emotional connection between communicators is on one end and a focus on if someone is perceived as being ‘present’, ‘there’ or ‘real’ at the other end" (Lowenthal, 2011)

Social Presence 

linked to task motivation and persistence

Affect

Open communication

There are key factors that influence perceived social presence in online learning. Social presence influences online user behavior.


Social Presence in Online Learning

-  how learners perceive psychological distance
-  what are the factors affecting learners’ perceptions of psychological distance
-  how learners’ perceptions of distance affect their learning
-  what are the effective strategies to minimize psychological distance

Learn Before

Related