Why is Presence So Important?

 

We are basically social by nature and when that social aspect is absent, we crave it and look for ways to accommodate absence and create presence. This social nature is deeply embedded in our perceptual process when interacting with others, not only in the real world, but also in the online environment. It is through the perceptual process that we interact with information and others within the online environment and require others to relate to us and work with us - this happens at the behavioral level.

Individually, each of us needs to make sense of information for our use, for sharing, and for further interacting with others. This refines and expands our knowledge. Individually, we search for appropriate resources to challenge, support, and enhance our experiences. We then re-examine the entire process by refining what we have integrated, and then circle back to repeat the process - this happens at the cognitive and emotional levels. We continuously go through this process in the online environment from an individual point of view; in other words, perceptually (Lehman, 1996; 2006). Because this process occurs at the subconscious level (Noe, 2005), it is difficult to notice when it is happening.

When thought, emotion, and behavior work together in our real world experiences, we believe that we have created a successful perceptual experience and a sense of presence. Often, we do not realize what happens when we are, for example, assigned to a small group in a face-to-face class (the environment); interacting with group members (with emotion); and focusing, following, and completing the group assignment (with thought, based on group behavior). This perceptual experience parallels the online learning experience, with the exception that in the online learning experience the instructor and learners are not in the same physical space. It is, therefore, necessary to intentionally rethink and redesign the course, incorporating the dynamic interplay of thought, emotion, and behavior to influence the perceptual process and create a sense of presence within the online environment.

References

Lehman, R. M. (1996). The essential videoconferencing guide: Seven keys to success. Instructional Communications Systems.

Lehman, R. (2006). The role of emotion in creating instructor and learner presence in the distance education experience. Journal of Cognitive Affective Learning, spring/summer issue. Available at www.jcal.emory.edu.

Noe, A. (2005). Action in perception. Cambridge. MIT Press.

The Concept of Presence in the Literature

In Kehrwald’s (2008) study, social presence is defined as the ability to demonstrate being in the online environment. This ability to be social in a virtual space is impacted by immediacy, awareness, and a willingness to engage in communication and interaction (Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997). Tu and McIsaac (2002) have found that online context can also positively influence social presence when it is stimulating, expressive, carries feelings and emotions, and is significant, and implicit.

Projecting oneself onto an online group and identifying with that group can effectively influence online learning by creating a comfortable environment. Learners who perceive high social presence during online exchanges also think that they learn more by benefiting from the ideas of others (Caspi & Blau 2008). Learners need to be introduced to this notion of online community building, knowledge construction as a group, and ways of being present during online discussions.

Gunawardena (1995) has added the importance of online learner context, noting that the offline context where participants learn and their relationships within that context have an effect on the online learning experience. Lehman (2006) expands on this research of online social presence, community, and learner context by suggesting the creation of an environment that considers the perceptual nature of the learner, a perceptual systems approach. This approach considers learners as perceivers, who bring their individual knowledge, skills, attitudes, preferences, and diverse backgrounds to the online learning experience. From this perspective, learners are active perceivers, rather than passive receivers during the online learning experience. 

 

References

Caspi, A., & Blau, I. (2008). Social presence in online discussion groups: Testing three conceptions and their relations to perceived learning. Social Psychological Education, 11(3), 323–346.

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), 147–156.

Gunawardena, C., & Zittle, F. (1997). Social presence as a predictor of satisfaction within a computer mediated conferencing environment. American Journal of Distance Education, 11(1), 8–26.

Kehrwald, B. A. (2008). Understanding social presence in text-based online learning environments. Distance Education, 29(1), 89–106.

Lehman, R. (2006). The role of emotion in creating instructor and learner presence in the distance education experience. Journal of Cognitive Affective Learning (JCAL), spring/summer issue. Available at www.jcal.emory.edu.

Tu, C., & McIsaac, M. (2002). The relationship of social presence and interaction in online classes. American Journal of Distance Education, 16(3), 131–150.

 

Creating a Sense of Presence

 

Creating a sense of online presence enhances instructor-learner and learner-learner relationships. Our definition of online presence is "being there" and "being together" before, during, and at the end of the online experience. Since presence is not a thing but a process, it has a "look" and "feel." Presence looks and feels as though the instructor has placed the learner at the center of the course development and created the course for the learner. It looks and feels as though the instructor is accessible to the learners, the learners are accessible to the instructor and other learners, and the technology is transparent to the learning process.

 

Online presence is created through developing awareness, understanding, involvement through experience, and intentional planning and design throughout the course. Presence helps to break down feelings of isolation, involves participants in the learning process, brings learners together in a virtual community, and is key to learner retention.  

Online presence is more than engagement and includes the dynamic interplay of thought, emotion, and behavior as instructor and learners consciously and unconsciously experience both the real world and the online environment.

Why is it important to understand presence when creating and designing online courses?

 

As the Internet evolves in an informal social direction (Internet-based social networking tools), it points to the importance of creating a sense of presence in the more formal setting of teaching and learning online. Understanding presence and how to create and design presence for online courses is “key.”

There is a difference between creating informal social presence for Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and creating presence for online courses. In the more informal setting, we create presence spontaneously. In the more formal setting of online courses, we need to make a concerted effort to be aware of the intentions of others and their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. We need to use a systematic approach and “intentionally design.”