Investigation into Undergraduates’ Experiences of Social Presence in Online Learning

Abstract

Online learning always piques the interest of scholars because of the potential outcomes. Social presence is associated with the degree of participation, interaction, and performance among collaborative group members and, therefore, is considered a critical variable for learning. Researchers have observed that for online learning to work well, students must feel connected to their peers and teachers. Social presence connects the real and online worlds, putting an online learner in touch with the teacher and other online learners. This study aims to investigate the interrelationships between social presence dimensions and cognitive presence, explore the critical social presence dimension influencing cognitive presence, and explore students’ experiences of social presence in online learning. The findings showed that social presence greatly influenced cognitive presence. However, affective collectiveness, open communication, and a sense of community were correlated and positively impacted cognitive presence, while the mutual attention and support dimensions were not correlated and did not significantly contribute to cognitive presence. Besides, students perceived themselves as having difficulties with open communication and online group activities. It is suggested that silence is an integral part of social presence, and it can be a silence-mediated social presence. Therefore, the role of silence should be reconsidered, as it has its own meaning. The findings imply that fostering a sense of mutual support and understanding is essential in online learning, as is providing practical guidance to ensure open communication. Moreover, instructors should focus on creating a sense of connectedness and cohesiveness in collaborative learning to achieve meaningful learning outcomes and a strong sense of community among students.