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.