Social Presence in Synchronous Hybrid Settings

• In Event: Online Teaching and Learning SIG Paper Session 4

Abstract

This article reports the results of a study that examined learners’ perceptions of social presence and sociability in synchronous hybrid courses that employed both video teleconferencing and telepresence robots. Social presence has been an important topic of study in online courses, with researchers finding that students with higher social presence were more involved in class discussions (Cobb, 2009) and more motivated (Yang, Tsai, Kim, Cho & Laffey, 2006). Using focus groups, we found that technology configurations affected students’ perceptions of social presence. Students suggested affordances that may have influenced social presence: personal portals, autonomy of movement, ability to see nonverbal cues, development of unspoken policies, and off-task interaction.

Authors

• Amy T. Peterson, Michigan State University

• John E. Bell, Michigan State University

• William Cain, Michigan State University

• Cui Cheng, Michigan State University