Understanding social presence in text‐based online learning environments

Abstract

This article reports on key aspects of a theory generative study into social presence in text‐based online learning environments. The focus of the article is the nature of social presence as experienced by online learners in those environments. Employing a collective case study design, the study accessed online learners’ experience‐based heuristic knowledge through a multi‐phase dialogical process which functioned as an extended interview. Among the key findings was (a) a definition of social presence drawn from learners’ experiences; (b) explication of the nature of social presence in online learning environments; (c) suggestions for the creation and sustenance of social presence in those environments; and (d) support for a relational view of social presence which emphasizes human agency in mediated social processes and foreshadows a role for social presence as a critical element of online learning environments.

Keywords:

• constructivist research
• learner experience
• online learning
• social presence

Notes

1. All respondent contributions have been edited for readability, including the correction of typographical errors, which may obscure meaning, and some formatting changes to improve the overall presentation. However, they have not been edited for writing style, expression, or mechanics in order to preserve the respondents’ individual voices. Pseudonyms have been used in all cases to protect the identity of respondents.