“The more one discloses personal information, the more others will reciprocate, and the more individuals know about each other the more likely they are to establish trust, seek support, and thus find satisfaction. Without disclosure and interaction nothing happens. Disclosure creates a kind of currency that is spent to keep interaction moving” (Cutler, 1995).
Is it necessary to “connect” online to enjoy and do well in an online class or program? Research shows that social presence is one of the leading indicators of learner satisfaction (LaPointe & Gunawardena, 2004).
Social presence is the ability for classmates to present themselves as real people, both socially and emotionally (Pelz, 2004), and according to Pelz, there are at least three forms of social presence:
– Presence that includes the expression of emotion, feelings, and mood,
– Presence that includes evidence of understanding and thinking about other’s responses, and
– Presence that happens when responses build and sustain a sense of belonging, group commitment, and common goals and objectives.
Palloff and Pratt (2000) advocate posting pictures and autobiographical sharing to promote social presence. They tell us that the more real life cues provided by learners, the more they become real to one another. In observing my real life experience, however, I’ve noticed that online learners often don’t take advantage of profile pages, nor do they reciprocate when asked by others to share their pictures. The weekend before I started my first asynchronous online graduate class, my husband spent over an hour taking digital photos of me until I thought one was good enough to put in my profile (meaning, it was flattering but still looked like me). As classmates began to introduce themselves, I eagerly checked their profiles, only to find them empty. In class, I actively called for pictures, but only two or three out of a class of 20 responded. It was most disappointing.
Learners will participate in icebreakers, if required, and according to Ortegano-Layne and Gunawardena (2004), icebreakers are a good way to initiate social presence among class members. We’re all familiar with the standard “tell us a little about yourself” approach, which yields anywhere from two sentences to a couple of pages, depending on the learner. Other popular icebreakers considered to be culturally “safe” (Ortegano-Layne & Gunawardena, 2004) include sharing about pets, food, family, vacations and travel, backgrounds, occupations, and special moments. To be avoided, according to the same source, are politics, religion, and sports no surprises there yet the most meaningful and lasting friendship I’ve made online is with a classmate who referred to a missions trip in her icebreaker, a hint that we might share the same faith, which made me want to get to know her better.
Beyond the Icebreaker
Are there other ways we can encourage social presence among online learners, after the icebreaker and as an ongoing component of online education? Emerging trends in technology offer a few ideas that extend beyond the discussion boards in a virtual classroom. One of them is blogging, a common activity among online aficionados, and perhaps an opportunity to help learners connect with each other beyond the superficial icebreaker.
Here’s my idea. Instead of the typical icebreaker, ask learners to post brief introductions about where they live, time zones, and optionally, a sentence or two about their backgrounds and occupations. Learners are not allowed to reply to one another in this forum. Instead, they are required to provide a link to a blog (which they may or may not already have). Those who do not have a blog are required to create one. Free blogging sites are readily available and creating a blog is a simple task, which should be within the skill set of any online learner. In their blogs, learners are highly encouraged to post pictures and voice recordings and to write about their interests. Classmates are encouraged or required to visit each other’s blogs and to leave comments on those they find interesting. Depending on the subject matter and length of the class, learners can be divided into groups and required over the first few weeks to visit various groups of blogs.
By encouraging outside communication, learners might begin to connect with each other in meaningful social contexts. For example, some learners might share an interest in music or sports, while others might support a political candidate or be passionately pro-life. While there is a risk of learners alienating one another, there is also the possibility of rich social interaction. Given the classroom context, which carries with it certain expectations of acceptable behavior, it’s likely that the rewards will outweigh the risks.
“Presenting Naked”
Beyond the blog and into the online classroom, how can we coach and model behavior that stimulates social presence? One of the best articles Ive read comes from a blog by Gary Reynolds on a topic he calls “presenting naked.” While geared towards skills for face-to-face presentations, I think he offers much wisdom for communicating in general.
Reynolds (2005) says, “Presenting naked involves being lost in the moment. I do not mean lost as in losing your place. I mean being so in the moment without worry of the past or future that you are as demonstrably interested (or moved, impassioned, excited, etc.) as your audience has (or will) become. This is a true connection.”
Here are some ideas, mostly from Reynolds (2005), that I’ve taken from the presentation podium and modified for consideration by both learners and instructors for use in the virtual classroom:
– Don’t try to impress. Instead try to share, help, inspire, teach, inform, guide, persuade, or motivate.
– Keep your communications simple simple goals, clear messages, and moderate length.
– Are you just a bit sassy, or maybe a little silly or humorously self-deprecating? Then that should show in your written communication. Don’t hide your light under a basket. Let your personality shine through.
– Be credible cite sources and share personal experiences.
– Don’t use corporate-speak or other technical jargon speak (or write) so that everyone will understand you.
– Be comfortable with yourself being “naked.” It takes practice and it takes confidence, which comes with practice. Peers are put off by arrogance and cockiness, but they’re attracted to confidence, if it’s genuine.
And finally, I’d like to share a very simple piece of advice from one of my former professors whom I also consider my mentor, Dennis O’Connor, online instructor extraordinaire “Speak from the heart.” To me, that means praising others and expressing appreciation when I’m impressed, entertained, or moved (or concern when I’m troubled or confused); being affirming and helpful; and most importantly, modeling the type of behavior I’d like to receive in return.
References
Cutler, R. H. (1995). Distributed presence and community in cyberspace, [Online version]. Interpersonal Communication and Technology: A Journal for the 21st Century, 1(2). Retrieved October 21, 2005, from http://www.helsinki.fi//science/optek/1995/n2/cutler.txt
LaPointe, D. K., & Gunawardena, C. N. (2004, May). Developing, testing and refining of a model to understand the relationship between peer interaction and learning outcomes in computer-mediated conferencing. Distance Education, 25(1), 83106. Retrieved October 27, 2005, from the EBSCO Academic Premier database.
Ortegano-Layne, L., & Gunawardena, C. N. (2004). Synthesizing social construction of knowledge in online conferences using concept maps. Retrieved October 25, 2005, from http://cmc.ihmc.us/papers/cmc2004-197.pdf
Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2000). Excerpt from a live webcast on May 31, 2000 at 1:00 P.M. EDT. Retrieved October 26, 2005 from http://sapphire.pvcc.cc.va.us/teachingcenter/tutorials/tips%20for%20building %20learning%20communities.htm
Pelz, W. (2004, June). My three principles of effective online pedagogy. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 8(3), 3346. Retrieved October 27, 2005 from http://www.sloan-c.org/publications/jaln/v8n3/v8n3_pelz.asp
Reynolds, G. (2005). Presentation Zen [blog]. Retrieved October 23, 2005 from http://presentationzen.blogs.com/