Social Presence in Online Dissertation Classes

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Author(s): Libi Shen (University of Phoenix, USA)and Irene Linlin Chen (University of Houston Downtown, USA)
Copyright: 2014
Pages: 17
Source title: Educational, Psychological, and Behavioral Considerations in Niche Online Communities
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Vivek Venkatesh (Concordia University, Canada), Jason Wallin (University of Alberta, Canada), Juan Carlos Castro (Concordia University, Canada)and Jason Edward Lewis (Concordia University, Canada)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-5206-4.ch011

Keywords: Information Science Reference / Media & Communications / Social Computing / Virtual Communities & Virtual Reality

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Abstract

This chapter reports on the results of a study that explored doctoral learners’ perceptions of social presence in online dissertation courses. Seven doctoral graduates were interviewed to understand how social presence functions in online dissertation courses, whether social presence influences their dissertation completion, and how technological tools help improve social presence in the dissertation courses. The results of this study indicate that social presence plays an important role in online dissertation courses. Students’ course satisfaction and learning outcome were associated with the degree of social presence. The use of emoticons, emails, and phone calls in online dissertation courses increased students’ sense of social presence. Students were more satisfied with instructors who interacted with them frequently and who provided detailed and constructive feedback in a timely manner. Recommendations for further research are included.

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