AECT 2009 Social Presence

Social Presence What is it? And Why Does it Matter? Patrick R. Lowenthal | patrick.lowenthal@ucdenver.edu

Why do I not have results to report?

Why should you stay?

Lowenthal, P. R., Lowenthal, D. A., & White, J. W. (2009, October). The changing nature of online communities of inquiry: An analysis of how discourse and time shapes students' perceptions of presence . Paper presented at the 2009 AECT International Convention, Louisville, KY. Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (under review). Hot for teacher: Using digital music to enhance student’s experience in elearning courses . Submitted to TechTrends . Lowenthal, P. R., & Dunlap, J. (in press). From pixel on a screen to real person in your students’ lives: Establishing social presence using digital storytelling . The Internet and Higher Education . Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2009). Tweeting the night away: Using Twitter to enhance social presence . Journal of Information Systems Education , 20(2), 129-136. Lowenthal, P. R. (2009). The evolution and influence of social presence theory on online learning . In T. T. Kidd (Ed.), Online education and adult learning: New frontiers for teaching practices (pp. 124-139). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Lowenthal, A., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2009, April). Revisiting teaching presence: An analysis of teaching presence across discourse communities . Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, San Diego, CA. Lowenthal, P. R., & Parscal, T. (2008). Teaching presence. The Learning Curve, 3(4), 1-2, 4.

This presentation will,
Review the literature on social presence (focusing on what it is and why its important),
Identify gaps in the literature, and
Describe my current research on social presence—including a mixed methods study currently being conducted on the nature of social presence and its relationship to student learning.

What is it ?

Does Presence = present ? ? ? ?

Social Presence Theory
Communications Studies Group at the University College in London in the 1970s
Short, J.A., Williams, E., & Christie, B. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications . New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Original Definition Social presence is the degree of salience (i.e., quality or state of being there ) between two communicators using a communication medium.

What does that mean?
It’s a quality of a communication medium.
Some media (e.g., video) have higher social presence than other media (e.g., audio)
Mediums with high social presence are sociable, warm, and personal; mediums with low social presence are as less personal.

For Example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfuS3m-Jhcc

Why does this matter ?

Our lives have Changed

We are social beings!

Learning is social !

Computer-mediated Communication
Early CMC Research Suggested
CMC is a lean medium
CMC is better at task oriented communication
CMC is inherently antisocial and impersonal

If learning is social and CMC antisocial , where does leave us?

The Emergence of Online Learning
Proponents and practitioners argued
CMC can support the social practice of learning and be very interpersonal
Learners can present themselves as being “real” as well as “connect” with others
Perceptions of social presence, and behaviors used to make up for missing cues, matter just as much, if not more, than a medium’s supposed capabilities

Phases of Social Presence Research

Research on Social Presence
Researchers have shown—in varying degrees:
A relationship between social presence and student satisfaction
A relationship between social presence and the development of a community of learners
A relationship between social presence and perceived learning

Limitations of Past Research

1. Multiple Definitions
Social Presence is,
the “sense of being with another” (Biocca, Harms, & Burgoon)

Social Presence is,
“ the degree to which a person is perceived as a ‘real person’” (Gunawardena)

Social Presence is,
“ the degree to which a person is perceived as a ‘real person’” (Gunawardena)
“ a student’s sense of being in and belonging in a course and the ability to interact with other students and an instructor” (Picciano)

2. Conceptual / Methodological
Social Presence is very contextual but research has not adequately focused on the context and how context changes everything
Gunawardena studied online conferences
Rourke et al. only analyzed one week of discussion
Wise et al. studies six week long independent study courses

3. Contradicting Findings
Some researchers have found that social presence behaviors decrease over time (Rourke, Anderson, Garrison, & Archer, 2001a), while others have not (Stacey, 2002)
Picciano (2002) found a relationship between social presence and student learning, while Wise et al. (2004) did not

Why does this matter to me ?

My Current Research
Revisiting indicators of social presence in online discussions (with mixed and multiple methods) with a specific focus on their relationship to student learning
Differences in presence across discourse communities in accelerated courses
Ability of Twitter to establish and improve social presence
The power of digital music to establish and improve social presence

One Example Affective Responses
Expression of emotions
Use of Humor
Self-Disclosure
Cohesive Responses
Vocatives
Use of Inclusive Pronouns
Phatics / Salutations
+ + =
Continuing a Thread
Quoting from Other Messages
Referring Explicitly to Other Messages
Asking Questions
Complimenting / Expressing Appreciation
Expressing Agreement
Interactive Responses Social Presence

Category & Indicators Definition of Indicators Examples Affective Responses Paralanguage Features of text outside formal syntax used to convey emotion (i.e., emoticons, exaggerated punctuation or spelling) Someday……; How awful for you  ; Mathcad is definitely NOT stand along software; Absolutely!!!!! Emotion Use of descriptive words that indicate feelings (i.e., love, sad, hate, silly) When I make a spelling mistake, I look and feel stupid; I get chills when I think of … Value Expressing personal values, beliefs, and attitudes I think it is a necessary evil; I feel our children have the same rights Humor Use of humour—teasing cajoling, irony, sarcasm, understatement God forbid leaving your house to go to the library Self-Disclosure Sharing personal information, expressing vulnerability I sound like an old lady; I am a closet writer; We had a similar problem Interactive Responses Acknowledgement Referring directly to the contents of others’ messages; quoting from others’ messages agreement Those ‘old machines’ sure were something; we won by a landslide – ‘landslide’ (next response) Disagreement Expressing agreement or disagreement with other’s messages I’m with you on that; I agree; I think what you are saying is right Approval Expressing approval, offering praise, encouragement You make a good point; Right on; Good luck as you continue to learn Invitation Asking questions or otherwise inviting response Any suggestions?; Would you describe that for me, I am unfamiliar with the term Personal Advice Offering specific advice to classmates Also the CEC website might have some references Cohesive Responses Greetings & Salutations Greetings, closures Hi Mary; That’s it for now, Tom Vocatives Addressing classmates by name You know, Tamara, …; I totally agree with you Katherine Group Reference Referring to the group as ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’ We need to be educated; Our use of the Internet may not be free Social Sharing Sharing information unrelated to the course Happy Birthday!! to both of you!!! Self-reflection Reflection on the course itself, a kind of self-awareness of the group I would never have imagined that we could have been having a discussion like this when we first started this course

Strategies to Improve Social Presence

Examples Provided by the Literature Instructional Design: Instructors: Students:
Develop overviews
Provide opportunities for student and teacher profiles within the learning management system
Incorporate audio and video within the course content following best practices for teaching and learning and ADA compliance standards
Limit class size
Structure collaborative learning activities
Utilize group work strategies
Develop open-ended, critical thinking discussion questions
Incorporate reflective activities
Utilize continuous and authentic assessment strategies
Post introductions and expectations documents before the students are given access to the course.
Contribute to discussion forum throughout the week
Provide suggested due dates for initial postings that promote mid-week engagement as opposed to weekend only postings
Launch discussion threads and summarize each thread at the end of the week
Promptly answer e-mail
Provide frequent feedback
Send progress reports on participation and quality of postings
Strike up a conversation
Share personal stories and professional experiences
Use expressions of emotions, e.g. (smile) or (grin).
Address students by name
Allow students options for addressing the instructor
Contribute to discussion forum throughout the week as opposed to waiting for the weekend
Promptly answer e-mail
Strike up a conversation
Share personal stories and experiences
Ask open-ended questions that promote discussion and require critical thinking
Use expressions of emotions, e.g. (smile) or (grin).

Strategies I Use
Learning stories
Digital storytelling
Regular participation in discussion forums
Cyber Cafés
Fun activities (e.g., Let’s Rock)
Use first names
Alternative communication tools (e.g., Twitter)
Synchronous video enabled chats
Audio / Video feedback

Contact Me dd Patrick R. Lowenthal [email_address] www.patricklowenthal.com twitter @plowenthal

AECT 2009 Social Presence

by Patrick Lowenthal on Nov 02, 2009

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