The Importance of Social Components in Online Learning

Abstract

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, tertiary education has been mainly pursued through online teaching. This form of teaching is also associated with challenges regarding the social presence of both lecturers and the students during classes. In this context, understanding how to effectively enforce social interaction and trust in the virtual classroom is of high importance. This chapter presents various examples of social learning pursued by the Management Center Innsbruck in their blended learning degree programs. Many of these have already been established in 2014 when the first blended learning degree programs started. However, the need for physical distancing made clear that social presence and interaction are of even greater relevance than ever before. Increasing the sense of cohesion and being a proper member of a study group can also be supported by more informal interactions.