Social Presence and the Sociocultural Dynamics of Online Learning Communities

1. Social Presence and the Sociocultural Dynamics of Online Learning Communities Charlotte N. (Lani) Gunawardena Ph.D. Professor Organizational Learning & Instructional Technology College of Education The University of New Mexico, USA

2. Social Presence (SP) Degree to which a person is perceived as a “real person” in mediated communication vs. vs. Intimacy (SP of Medium, differs in different media) TV vs. Audio Non-verbal cues C. N. Gunawardena

3. Social Presence, the degree to which a person feels “socially present” in mediated communication, links to the larger social context of an online environment, including: • interaction • group cohesion • verbal and non-verbal communication • attitudes and motivation • social equality, etc.

4. Social Presence • Significant factor in improving satisfaction (Hackman & Walker, 1990, Gunawardena & Zittle, 1997) • Can be cultured (Johansen et. al. 1988) • Users develop techniques to overcome absence of social context cues: • Emoticons :-) :-( ;-) • Metalinguistic cues: “hmmm” “yuk” • In MUDS, SP and interaction are created by commands such as: say, emote, whisper

5. Social Presence as a Predictor of Learner Satisfaction in CMC – Gunawardena & Zittle 1997, AMJDE 11, 3 • How effective is SP as a predictor of learner satisfaction? • Study CMC from a social-relational perspective

6. Study Participants • 62% female, 38% male • Comfort with technology 44% • 50 graduate students from 5 universities • San Diego State N=8 • Texas A & M N=11 • Univ. of New Mexico N=14 • U. of Wisconsin-Madison N=7 • Univ. of Wyoming N=10

7. Social Presence as a Predictor of Learner Satisfaction(Stepwise Regression Models) Independent Variables Dependent Variable Model 1 Model 2 Social Presence 60% 58% Learner Satisfaction 6% 6% 70% Equal 75% 4% Tech 6% Attitude 5% Active Barriers Capable Trained

8. The Effects of Emoticon Use on Mean Satisfaction Mediated by Perceived Social Presence 50 Satisfaction 40 30 20 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 ___ SP High ---- SP Low I intentionally used emoticons to express my feelings Note: Social Presence artificially dichotomized at medium for clarity.

9. S E N E R C P E Oh please, Talk to me! Encouragement Smiling DiaNa C MC Nonverbal Cues, Names Eye Contact Comfort Reinforcement Experiences Praising

10. Social Presence & Online Course Design • Virtual Pubs & Cyber Cafes • Virtual costume party • Introductions (self-disclosure) • Moderators creating a sense of community & being there • Formats for interaction - story telling • Timely feedback • Real time interaction – Chats, teleconferences • Techniques – e.g. emoticons, pictures

11. Developing an Online Community • Community, Collaboration, and Interaction must become central in course design • Assessment must reward collaboration, contribution to community, and products developed within the community • Example: In Keresan Pueblo communities of New Mexico giftedness is defined as an individual’s ability to contribute to the good of the community

12. PURPOSE OF CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY • Examine if there are differences in students’ perceptions of online group process and group development in two national contexts, Mexico and USA • Determine if differences could be described as cultural differences Gunawardena, Nolla, Wilson, López,-Islas, Ramirez-Angel, Megchun-Alpizar (2001)

13. Group Process & Group Development Online, USA & Mexico • Significant differences in perception for norming and performing stages • Forming, • Storming, • Norming, • Performing • Adjourning – Tuckman • Mexico more collectivist than USA • Country differences rather than age or gender differences Gunawardena, Nolla, Wilson, López,-Islas, Ramirez-Angel, Megchun-Alpizar (2001)

14. Group Process & Group Development Online, USA & Mexico Focus groups identified the following influences • Language • Power distance • Collectivist vs. individualist tendencies • Conflict • Social presence • Time frame, and • Technical skills Gunawardena, Nolla, Wilson, López,-Islas, Ramirez-Angel, Megchun-Alpizar, Distance Education (2001)