Published in Association with
2020 AECT Division of Distance Learning Book Award
Social presence continues to emerge as a key factor for successful
online and blended learning experiences. It is commonly described as the
degree to which online participants feel connected to one another.
Understanding social presence--with its critical connections to
community-building, retention, and learning outcomes--allows faculty and
instructional designers to better support and engage students. This
volume, Social Presence in Online Learning, addresses the evolution of
social presence with three distinct perspectives, outlines the relevant
research, and focuses on practical strategies that can immediately
impact the teaching and learning experience. These strategies include
creating connections to build community, applying content to authentic
situations, integrating a careful mix of tools and media, leveraging
reflective and interactive opportunities, providing early and continuous
feedback, designing with assessment in mind, and encouraging change in
small increments. Because student satisfaction and motivation plays a
key role in retention rates and because increased social presence often
leads to enriched learning experiences, it is advantageous to mindfully
integrate social presence into learning environments.
Social Presence in Online Learning brings together eminent scholars in
the field to distinguish among three different perspectives of social
presence and to address how these viewpoints immediately inform
practice. This important volume:
-Provides an overview of the evolution of social presence, key findings
from social presence research, and practical strategies that can improve
the online and blended learning experience
-Differentiates three distinct perspectives on social presence and
explains the ideas and models that inform these perspectives
-Explores specific ways in which social presence relates to course
satisfaction, retention, and outcomes
-Offers practical implications and ready-to-use techniques that are
applicable to multiple disciplines
-Introduces current research on social presence by prominent researchers
in the field with direct inferences to the practice of online and
blended learning
-Looks at future directions for social presence
Social Presence in Online Learning is appropriate for practitioners,
researchers and academics involved in any level of online learning
program design, course design, instruction, support, and leadership as
well as for graduate students studying educational technology,
technology-enhanced learning, and online and blended learning. It brings
together multiple perspectives on social presence from the most
influential scholars in the field to help shape the future of online and
blended learning.
