creating social presence in online learning

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Creating Social Presence in Online Learning Carol Hostetter, PhD Indiana University Funded in part by: • The Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning • The Indiana University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program [email protected]

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Creating Social Presence in Online Learning. Carol Hostetter, PhD Indiana University Funded in part by: The Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning The Indiana University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program [email protected]. Goals. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Creating Social Presence in

Online Learning

Carol Hostetter, PhDIndiana UniversityFunded in part by:

• The Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning

• The Indiana University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program

[email protected]

Page 2: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Goals

1. To examine the relationship between social presence and student learning outcomes in an online class

2. To brainstorm increasing social presence in our classes

Page 3: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Question for later discussion

Do you think social presence (or, learning community) is a useful concept for online teaching in your discipline? Why or why not?

Page 4: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Theoretical Background

Teacher Immediacy Behavior

• From the field of communication education based on Mehrabian & Wiener (1968) in psychology.

• Immediacy can be defined as the amount of “perceived physical and/or psychological closeness between people” (Christophel, 1990, p. 325).

Page 5: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Social Presence

• Immediacy behaviors gave rise to the concept of social presence, from social psychology (Short, Williams, and Christie, 1976).

• Social presence is “the degree to which a person is perceived as a ‘real person’ in mediated communication” (Gunawardena, 1995, p.151).

Page 6: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Social Presence

• Studies have shown that “…users of computer networks are able to project their identities whether `real’ or `pseudo,’ feel the presence of others online, and create communities with commonly agreed on conventions and norms …” (Gunawardena, 1995, p. 151).

• Students were able to “create social presence by projecting their identities and building online communities” (p. 163).

Page 7: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

What is Your Social Presence?

Page 8: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Link between Social Presence and Community

• What is meant by “create communities with commonly agreed on conventions and norms” and “building online communities?”

• Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines community as “an interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location”

Page 9: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Link between Social Presence and Community

Reid (1995) describes the link between social presence and community:

Social Presence

Common Communication

Social Interaction

Common Culture

Community

Page 10: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Link between Social Presence and Learning?

If there is a link, what might be the connection?

• Learning takes place in a social environment, and cognitive understanding and personal construction of knowledge depend on relations with others (Fung, 2004; Richardson and Swan, 2003; Vygotsky, 1978).

• Creating a safe environment for a learning community in class allows students to take risks and collaborate in an authentic manner (Bonk, 2002).

Page 11: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Question for discussion

Do you think social presence (or, learning community) is a useful concept for online teaching in your discipline? Why or why not?

Page 12: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Research Questions

1. What is the evidence of social presence in a) students’ communication in an online discussion forum and in b) an attitudinal survey?

2. What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

3. What is the relationship between social presence and students’ learning outcomes?

Page 13: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

To Facilitate Social Presence in Online Classes

• Mandatory participation in discussion forum

• Weekly papers synthesizing readings, with prompt and detailed feedback from the instructor

• Dyadic PowerPoint presentations• Model social presence in communications

from instructor to students – use of names, discussions of personal context, expression of feelings and humor when appropriate

Page 14: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

14

Structure of Online Course• On Mondays, log on to check assignments and

read lectures.• By Wednesdays at 5 pm your response to the

discussion forum question is due. • WarmUps are due at 9 am Monday morning on

the day they are listed on the syllabus, unless otherwise noted. For example, the first WarmUp is listed on the syllabus for 1-19, so it is due by 9 am on 1-19.

• Check the course announcements for possible changes in assignments or schedules as we adjust to our learning needs and changing context.

Page 15: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

15

Assignments and Weights

• Participation in Discussion Forum – 10 pts.

• WarmUps – 33 pts.

• Annotated Bibliography – 7 pts.

• Group Presentation – 20 pts.

• Final Paper – 30 pts.

Page 16: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

16

Discussion Forums

• Unit One  Discussion topics due 1-21 midnight   

• Unit Two Discussion topic due 1-28 midnight  

• Unit Three Discussion Topic due 2-4 midnight  

• Unit Four Discussion topic due 2-11 midnight

Page 17: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

17

Discussion Questions

• Regarding the theories discussed on pages 290-291, which do you feel most comfortable with?  How do you see yourself using the theory?

• From your reading of Chapter 6, which do you think is more likely to provide more justice – the family court or the juvenile court, and why?

Page 18: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Brainstorming Question

What is one way you could increase the social presence in one of your classes?

Page 19: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Creating Social Presence in

Online Learning

Carol Hostetter, PhDIndiana UniversityFunded in part by:

• The Mack Center for Inquiry on Teaching and Learning

• The Indiana University Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program

[email protected]

Page 20: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Data Collection

• Questionnaires on perception of social presence (Richardson and Swan, 2003), collected on all four sections from 2004 to 2006

• Content analysis of online discussions (Rourke, et al., 1999)

• Ratings of Classroom Assessment Technique (Angelo and Cross, 1993)

Page 21: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Research Question 1

What is the evidence of social presence in a) students’ communication in an online discussion forum and in b) an attitudinal survey?

Page 22: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Method of Discussion Forum Analysis

• Students responded to a weekly question• Students replied to others’ responses• Comments were content analyzed by a

research team, to look for demonstrations of social presence

Page 23: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Content Analysis: Rourke et al.

Three Components• Affective• Interactive• Cohesives

Rourke, L, Anderson, T., Garrison, D.R., & Archer, W. (1999).

Page 24: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Content Analysis:

Affective:

• Expressions of emotions

• Use of humor

• Self-disclosure

Page 25: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Content Analysis:

Interactive:

• Quoting from others’ messages

• Referring explicitly to others’ messages

• Asking questions

• Complimenting, expressing appreciation

• Expressing agreement

Page 26: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Content Analysis:

Cohesives:

• Vocatives

• Addresses or refers to the group using inclusive pronouns

• Phatics, salutations

Page 27: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

RESULTS:1a) What is the evidence of social presence in students’ communication in a discussion forum?

Table 1. Mean and Standard Deviation for Evidence of SP in Discussion Postings

Mean St. Dev.

SP in Dsn Forum 86.45% 0.08

N of postings ≈ 4,000

N of students = 121

Page 28: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Method of Survey Analysis

• Attitudinal survey – section on perception of social presence in course overall

• End of semester online surveys were distributed to students

• One point was awarded for sending the survey by email to research assistant (filled out or not)

• Research assistant removed names, assigned ID numbers, and put data into Excel

• Data was entered into SPSS and analyzed

Page 29: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Survey Analysis

• N = 121 students who completed survey, discussion forums, and CAT (85% response rate)

• Reliability testing for survey instrument found an alpha of .95 (Gunawardina & Zittle = .88)

• Factor analysis:– Perception of social presence– Satisfaction with learning community

Page 30: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

RESULTS:1b) What is the evidence of social presence in an attitudinal survey?

Table 2. Mean and Standard Deviation for Social Presence Scale

Mean St. Dev.

Perceptions of SP

Survey 51.35 6.22

N = 121

Response options of 1-6, 10 questions

Page 31: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Research Question 2

What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Page 32: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Method of Pedagogical Method Analysis

Attitudinal survey – section on perception of social presence in three main teaching methods:

1. Discussion Forum

2. PowerPoint Presentations3. WarmUps – Weekly graded papers

on readings (Novak, Patterson, Gavrin, & Christian, 1999)

Page 33: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

2) What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Table 3. Perception of Social Presence in Assignments

Mean St. Dev.

Discussion Forum 49.56 8.50

Powerpoint 47.95 8.19

WarmUps 38.42 11.10

N = 121

Response options of 1-6, 10 questions

Page 34: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

2) What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Table 4. The effect of Discussion Forum on students' perceptions of social presence

B Std. Error

Discussion Forum 0.47* 0.05R2 .42N = 121, *p. < .01

Page 35: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

2) What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Table 5. The effect of PowerPoint Presentation on students' perceptions of social presence

B Std. Error

Powerpoint 0.33* 0.06R2 .19N = 121, *p. < .01

Page 36: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

2) What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Table 6. The effect of WarmUps on students' perceptions of social presence

B Std. Error

WarmUps 0.25* 0.05R2 .21N = 121, *p. < .01

Page 37: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

2) What pedagogical methods affect students’ perceptions of social presence?

Table 7. The effect of pedagogical methods on students' perceptions of social presence

B Std. Error

WarmUps 0.10 0.05

Discussion Forum 0.44* 0.07

Powerpoint -0.06 0.08

R2 .44

N = 121, *p. < .01

Page 38: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Research Question 3

What is the relationship between social presence and students’ learning outcomes?

Page 39: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Method

• Used one assignment (CAT)• Research team developed rubric for rating• Rated by two independent raters

Page 40: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

States ProblemEstablishes AuthorityDemonstrates that Well-being of Child is Paramount ConcernShows EmpathyShows ConcernEstablishes Plan/Offers ServicesGrand Total

Page 41: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

Scores on CAT

• 3 = especially good• 2 = typical• 1 = off-base• 0 = no use of that dimension • Maximum score = 18

Scores ranged from 3 to 18

Mean = 16.15

Standard deviation = 11.02

Page 42: Creating Social Presence in  Online Learning

3) What is the relationship between social presence and students’ learning outcomes?

Table 8. The Effect of Social Presence Variables on Student Learning Outcomes

Social Presence: B SE B

in WarmUp 0.05 0.12

in Discussion Forum 0.30 0.18

in Powerpoint -0.16 0.18

Overall Perceptions -0.41 0.21

Dsn Frm Posts 45.22* 12.18

R2 .13

N = ,*p. < .01