"Nothing Beats Human Interaction”: Faculty Insights on Social Presence in the Hybrid Learning Environment (Poster 16)

• In Event: Sunday Poster Session 1:15 pm
  In Poster Session: Online Teaching and Learning SIG Poster Session 2

Abstract

This study examines the ways faculty foster social presence in their hybrid teaching and illuminates how they interact with learners in the virtual classroom. Eight faculty members—teaching across disciplines and academic levels—were recruited for this study. Faculty experiences were analyzed to better understand how educators approached distance education, as well as the social and pedagogical strategies they employed to foster social presence in their hybrid courses. In addition to concerns regarding institutional motives behind distance education, study results indicated that a lack of institutional training and support affected how faculty managed distance teaching. Despite the challenges, faculty remained committed to fostering social presence by promoting face-to-face interaction among learners and by encouraging regular and ongoing faculty-student communication.

Author

• Sonny Partola, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point