- all students thought video communication with the instructor made their course experience better
- all students in the instructor and small group interaction section reported that the individual video feedback from the instructor was beneficial and helped them keep up with their work
- some students not in the aforementioned section wished their instructor would have commented on their work
- most students reported being able to see their instructor as they lectured helped their learning experience


Instructor's Open Communication

- half of the students thought the instructor's self-disclosure and expression of personality bettered their course experience
- some students didn't think they got to know their instructor well enough due to the nature of asynchronous courses

Instructor's Emotional Expression

- most students felt that video communication made them more familiar and closer to the instructor
- most students felt like their instructor cared about their success and was there to support them
- however, some students felt that the professor didn't know them well enough

Cohesion with the Instructor

Students were interviewed on the instructor's open communication, emotional expression, and cohesion

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused schools to shut down, forcing many students to continue their education via online learning. As a result, the social aspect of education was virtually eliminated, leaving students feeling alone in their online courses. To solve this, different video technologies can be used to aid instruction. This study looks at the different instructional strategies for increasing the social presence of students and instructors.

Improving online social presence through asynchronous video

Borup, J., West, R. E., & Graham, C. R. (2012). Improving online social presence through asynchronous video. The Internet and Higher Education, 15(3), 195–203. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.11.00 

- emotional expression: self-disclosure, humor, and the expression of feelings related to learning
- open communication: recognize and respectfully attend to an individual's contributions, enabling risk-free exchanges
- group cohesion: build and sustain a sense of group commitment 

Three identifiers of social presence in terms of education

- researchers sampled three online sections of a technology integration course (each taught by a different instructor) for preservice teachers at a teacher preparation program
- assignments and procedures were similar across the three sections
- each teacher used a different strategy to establish social presence
- each student was interviewed about their feelings of social presence in their class

Methods

Results: Students' Perception of Instructor's Social Presence

Students were interviewed on their open communication, emotional expression, and cohesion.

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