The Evolution and Influence of Social Presence Theory on Online Learning

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The Evolution and Influence of Social Presence Theory on Online Learning

P. R. Lowenthal
S. Dasgupta (Ed.)

Abstract

The theory of social presence is perhaps the most popular construct used to describe and understand how people socially interact in online learning environments. However, despite its intuitive appeal, researchers and practitioners alike often define and conceptualize this popular construct differently. In fact, it is often hard to distinguish between whether someone is talking about social interaction, immediacy, intimacy, emotion, and/or connectedness when they talk about social presence. Therefore, this chapter outlines the evolution of the construct of social presence in an effort to understand better its relationship to online learning.

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Lowenthal takes a theoretical perspective on examining existing literature on online social presence. Social presence theory is explored both historically and its evolution to how the theory has shaped research on online communities. Lowenthal also takes time to explore how previous researchers have operationalized and measured social presence. The chapter ends with the author noting that while distance learning courses have not grown as quickly as first expected, online courses are enrolling more students each year. As such, Lowenthal argues continued research using social presence theory is vital to understanding how distance students are communicating.

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