“I WANT TO SAY MY OPINION, BUT…”STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL PRESENCE IN
ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSIONS
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“I WANT TO SAY MY OPINION, BUT…”STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES OF SOCIAL PRESENCE IN
ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSIONS
PRESENTER: KIMBERLY M. HARRISON, PHD ELMHURST COLLEGE
CO-AUTHORS: CINDY S. YORK, PHD & HAYLEY MAYALL, PHDNORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
NOVEMBER 17, 2016
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Describe how students experience social presence in asynchronous online discussions.
List and discuss methods for potentially increasing social presence in asynchronous online discussions.
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WHAT ARE ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DISCUSSIONS (AOD)?
AKA threaded discussions / computer-mediated conferencing Online spaces to promote communication but not in real-time Uses text and digital tools Available 24/7 Time to think / no interruptions / everyone participates Time-intensive / miss flow of conversation@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY?
Describe students’ experiences as they experienced & developed social presence within AOD
Knowingly or unknowingly
Change through college careers?@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
WHY STUDY THIS TOPIC?
Discussions promote learning & student satisfaction Staple of higher education courses Unlike other teaching methods Students’ perceptions vary widely Goal: Better develop online discussion environments to
support learning
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS (LARGER STUDY)
1. How do students use impression management strategies to develop social identities (whether intentionally or unintentionally) within asynchronous online discussions?
2. What are the experiences of students developing social identities within asynchronous online discussions?
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EXISTING LITERATURE
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GAPS IN LITERATURE ADDRESSED IN THIS STUDY
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THEORETICAL CONSTRUCT
Social presence is “the ability of participants in online discussions
both to perceive other participants as ‘real people’
and to project themselves socially and affectively into the discussion”
Based within Garrison et al.’s (2000, 2010) Community of Inquiry framework
- Swan (2005), p. 20@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
QUALITATIVE PARADIGM
No objective truth; reality is subjective Natural setting State own biases Evolving research design Data findings are interpretations
- Creswell (2007)
MY BIASES & ASSUMPTIONS
I Goffman Context matters Views as an educator Previous, course-based research Not acceptable to use findings from grad students
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METHODOLOGY
Case study approach 5 students approaching graduation, ages 20-25 (2F & 3M) Data collection:
Perceptions of AOD survey / Demographic survey Individual and group interviews Analysis of AOD transcripts
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Mark
Sometimes when you hear that real-life experience, it shows that
you are human. You actually did this stuff and it's not just words.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Marti
I'm thinking about them as people. I don't necessarily picture "I
know who this is”…I just think, "Oh, someone just went through
this!“… I almost think about it like if I was doing my own research
and someone said this about it.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jay
I went through situations similar to the one you described. It's hard to stop yourself say certain words when you've said them unconsciously all the time. Growing up the phrase “that's gay” wasn't to offend those who are homosexual. I honestly thought it meant stupid because that's the way everybody else was using it. However, now that I'm older I understand why it's such a horrible thing to say. @KHARRISON121
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Mark
See, this is interesting. Because kind of looking back at my [critical thinking] class, where I would put more thought into it and more of myself, what happened to me and whatnot, it shows here, too….I did it, again.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jay
As a child, my mom read me many books. There was one book in particular called The Empty Pot which was about a boy in China who entered in a contest to become the successor of the Emperor…. There was only one boy who stayed honest and he was rewarded because of it. I try to live my life by understanding these lessons I've learned through books I've read and films I've watched. Be honest, treat others with respect, fight for what you believe in, and hold onto faith, are a few lessons that are constantly being retaught through all different types of literature.
FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Mark
His favorite types of discussions were “the questions where it asks [you to] tell a story about something in your past, [or to tell about when] you've had experience with this and this, because I actually like telling stories. For me, it's fun.”
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Marti
That's a great point Student 7, the operating system was a huge
evolution in the business. On the business side it made things run
a lot smoother and operate better, but on the employee side it
affect many that where replace by the systems
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jay
I understand your point of view Student 1 however, if the job
doesn't in anyhow tie into the subject of White Supremacist group
then I would definitely report him.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jay
I don't necessarily have things I want to accomplish in the [course-based] discussion posts, where in a car forum, everyone has this common goal to accomplish something.” I don't necessarily have things I want to accomplish in the [course-based] discussion posts, where in a car forum, everyone has this common goal to accomplish something.”
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jessica
“Student 15, that looks great to me.”
“I really like that example, Student 5!”
“I think you have some great responses here, Student 17.”
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Al
why would you lean more towards gender rather than the time of
year? you could do time of year on a month to month scale and
then break it down by gender and then by age group
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Mark
Very good point. I also want to add that you might want to give
examples that your audience can relate so they themselves can
see themselves using your product.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Jessica
You can discuss about it online, sure, but you don't really get anything out of it. You're just saying, "Oh yeah, this is how I would do that.” …I got absolutely nothing out of the discussions….It was just definitions and useless things. Having an online discussion for this class was ridiculously pointless...If you're stuck on one point, you can't go any farther.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Al
Sometimes you've got to throw something controversial out there just to get a response. Otherwise it's just going to be another post in the threaded discussions….It dead ends right there.
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FINDINGS RE: SOCIAL PRESENCE
Emotions, humor, and values Liked being able to express themselves Purpose is interaction (frustration with lack) Described satisfaction with open-ended questions that allowed for
personalities Didn’t feel communities were being created / lack of cohesion@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
WHAT WAS LEARNED ABOUT SOCIAL PRESENCE?
Evidence of social presence for all participants Affected by expectations, previous experiences (or lack), structure
of discussion prompts, instructor behaviors When structure & content support – develop social presence When don’t – frustration, lack of motivation, dissatisfaction
– lack of social presence
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WHAT ARE THE EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS?
Purpose of AOD: Want to express personalities & hear multiple perspectives
Desire connection between content & own lives Perceived lack of community Frustrated with inability to communicate meaningfully (“easy points”) Differences between participation and interaction
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IMPLICATIONS
Teach students & faculty how to develop social presence and use it to participate as part of a learning community.
Ensure students & instructors are aware of the purpose of AOD. Explicitly teach students how to participate in AOD, with an
emphasis on how and why to disagree. Provide concrete examples of high-quality discussion posts. Align assessment with AOD goals.@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
LIMITATIONS
Interpreted by me, a version of the truth
Limited by context
May be suggestive of patterns but may not be generalizable
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SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Continued exploration of students’ experiences
Development of critical thinking skills in AOD, specific to undergraduates
Mandatory AOD for instructors
Discrepancies between instructor and student expectations@KHARRISON121 #OLCACCELERATE
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