Reframing Implications of Social Presence in Asynchronous Online Learning

Abstract

The impact of social presence on virtual learning experiences is of increased interest in educational research as teaching and learning transitions from traditional classrooms to online learning environments. Educators need to know more about how to design asynchronous learning experiences that will results in students’ abilities to infer the mental states of others and participate in social conflict monitoring through perceptions of various social cues, as occurs in non-virtual instruction. Findings in the study showed that students’ age and satisfaction with online learning were the two main variables shaping participants’ mental states in online learning environments. Participants who expressed that online learning was sometimes a satisfying experience were more likely to believe that instructors could not resolve social conflicts. Otherwise, participants with some asynchronous learning experience tended to believe that social conflicts could be resolved by instructors teaching ethical decision-making skills and presenting and discussing multiple points of view. The outcomes of this study emphasize how instructors can work toward building social, cognitive, and teaching presence in online learning environments and can inform future social presence research.