The Impact of Social Presence on Online Student Engagement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/jodl.1690Keywords:
Social Presence, Online Student Engagement, Online Education, Interaction, Learning Environment, Instructor FeedbackAbstract
Purpose: The main objective of this study was to explore the impact of social presence on online student engagement.
Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive's time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library.
Findings: The findings revealed that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the impact of social presence on online student engagement. Preliminary empirical review revealed that the vital role of social presence in online education. It confirms that a strong sense of social presence fosters a connected and engaged online learning community, impacting both cognitive and affective aspects of student engagement. Effective course design, drawing upon theoretical frameworks, and intentional efforts by instructors contribute to enhancing social presence and, consequently, improving the overall online student engagement experience.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework and Transactional Distance Theory (TDT) may be used to anchor future studies on online student engagement. To enhance online student engagement in the context of the study, several key recommendations emerge. Educators should actively promote social interaction within online courses, provide clear expectations and guidelines, incorporate synchronous interactions, implement peer interaction and feedback mechanisms, leverage technology tools for social engagement, offer timely and supportive feedback, monitor and assess social presence, and invest in professional development opportunities for instructors. By following these recommendations, instructors and institutions can create a more interactive and engaging online learning environment, fostering a strong sense of social presence and ultimately improving the overall educational experience for online students.
Downloads
References
Adu-Adu, W., Marfo, S., & Agyekum, M. (2018). Mobile Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: A State-of-the-Art Review of Challenges, Opportunities, and Trends. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(3), 17-35. DOI: 10.1109/EDUCON.2018.8363299
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2017). Digital Learning Compass: Distance education enrollment report 2017. Babson Survey Group.
Anderson, T. (2014). Theories for learning with emerging technologies. In R. S. Anderson & D. S. Spector (Eds.), The SAGE Encyclopedia of Educational Technology (pp. 683-686). SAGE Publications.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.
Brown, C., & Heyman, R. (2016). Factors Influencing Student Engagement in South African Higher Education. South African Journal of Higher Education, 30(1), 19-35. DOI: 10.20853/30-1-626
Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring student engagement in the online course: The Online Student Engagement scale (OSE). Online Learning Journal, 19(4), n4.
Dwivedi, Y., Hughes, L., Coombs, C., Constantiou, I., Duan, Y., Edwards, J., & Ramanathan, U. (2019). Impact of social presence on cognitive and affective learning outcomes: Implications for technology acceptance model. Information Systems Frontiers, 21(6), 1279-1292.
Finn, J. D., & Zimmer, K. S. (2012). Student engagement: What is it? Why does it matter?. In Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 97-131). Springer US.
Garrison, D. R., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2015). Facilitating cognitive presence in online learning: Interaction is not enough. The American Journal of Distance Education, 19(3), 133-148.
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2011). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
Guri-Rosenblit, S. (2018). Digital technologies in higher education: Sweeping expectations and actual effects. Higher Education, 75(5), 915-930. DOI: 10.1007/s10734-017-0234-5
Hewett, A., & Brett, C. (2018). Online asynchronous discussion forums: A tool for student engagement. In R. Hartshorne, T. Heafner, T. Petty, & A. S. Crowther (Eds.), Technology in the Classroom: Practices for English Education (pp. 173-189). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2676-4.ch010
Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). (2021). Higher education student statistics: UK, 2019/20. Retrieved from https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/21-01-2021/sb252-higher-education-student-statistics
HolonIQ. (2020). The Global Learning Landscape 2020. https://www.holoniq.com/notes/the-global-learning-landscape-2020/
Japan Association for Educational Technology (JAET). (2021). 6th International Conference of the Japan Association for Educational Technology. https://www.jaet.org/icjaet2021/
Jones, D., Healing, G., Kerr, A., & Franklin, J. (2017). Live webinars and recorded lectures in online learning: A comparative analysis. In A. Olofsson & J. Lindberg (Eds.), Informed design of educational technologies in higher education: Enhanced learning and teaching (pp. 135-156). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-1943-3.ch008
Jung, I., Choi, S., Lim, C., & Leem, J. (2020). Effects of different types of interaction on learning achievement, satisfaction and participation in web-based instruction. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 57(1), 65-75.
Lowenthal, P. R., Dunlap, J. C., & Snelson, C. (2017). Investigating students' perceptions of instructional strategies to establish social presence. The Internet and Higher Education, 32, 1-10.
Maeda, Y., Lv, J., & Caskurlu, S. (2018). Social presence in relation to students' satisfaction and learning in the online environment: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 402-417.
Means, B., Bakia, M., & Murphy, R. (2019). Learning online: What research tells us about whether, when, and how. Routledge.
MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). (2020). Report on the utilization of ICT in higher education. https://www.mext.go.jp/en/policy/education/highered/title02/detail02/sdetail02/1389446.htm
Miao, J., & Ma, L. (2022). Students' online interaction, self-regulation, and learning engagement in higher education: The importance of social presence to online learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 815220. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.815220
Miao, J., & Ma, L. (2022). Students' online interaction, self-regulation, and learning engagement in higher education: The importance of social presence to online learning. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 815220.
Moore, M. G. (1997). Theory of transactional distance. In D. Keegan (Ed.), Theoretical principles of distance education (pp. 22-38). Routledge.
Mtebe, J. S., & Raisamo, R. (2018). Investigating Perceived Barriers to the Use of Open Educational Resources in Higher Education in Tanzania. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 19(1), 172-192. DOI: 10.19173/irrodl.v19i1.3259
National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Distance education courses for degree/certificate programs: 2018-19. U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020014.pdf
National Center for Education Statistics. (2020). Enrollment and Employees in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2019; and Financial Statistics and Academic Libraries, Fiscal Year 2019 (Provisional Data). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2020/2020001.pdf
Nishikawa, K., & Obari, H. (2016). Student engagement in online learning: A comparison of senior and non-senior students. International Journal of E-Learning & Distance Education, 31(2), 1-15.
O'Shea, S., Stone, C., & Delahunty, J. (2020). A balancing act: a window into online student engagement experiences. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00199-x
Osin, L. (2018). National Open University of Nigeria: E-Learning at NOUN. In T. K. Das (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Cross-Cultural Business Education (pp. 74-85). IGI Global. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-4771-6.ch005
Picciano, A. G. (2017). Student engagement: An analysis of face-to-face and online students' perceptions. The Online Journal of Distance Education and e-Learning, 5(1), 1-19.
Richardson, J. C., & Swan, K. (2013). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students' perceived learning and satisfaction. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 7(1), 68-88.
Samad, S., Nilashi, M., & Ibrahim, O. (2019). The impact of social networking sites on students' social wellbeing and academic performance. Education and Information Technologies, 24(4), 2081-2094. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09867-6
Shea, P., Li, C. S., Swan, K., & Pickett, A. (2016). Developing learning community in online asynchronous college courses: The role of teaching presence. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 10(3), 61-72.
Tanaka, K. (2019). A study on Japanese learners' engagement in online courses. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 16(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0184-7
Vohra, S. (2020). How Social Presence on Twitter Impacts Student Engagement and Learning. In Beyond Content (pp. 369-387). Springer, Cham.
Wong, G., Greenhalgh, T., Pawson, R., & Westhorp, G. (2019). Realist evaluation in health and social care: A beginner's guide. SAGE Publications. DOI: 10.4135/9781473964678
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Andrew Odhiambo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
