Enhancing Social Presence
Social presence (SP) has evolved over time since Short, Williams, and Christie (1976) introduced the concept and defined as the belief the group members are communicating with people instead of objects. As such when communication channels are reduced, social presence decreases in a group. As a result of this reduction, group members feel disconnected with one another. However, an increased sense of presence leads to a better perception of social connection. With various interactive and communication media such as interactive television, videoconferencing and online learning platforms, the concept of social presence has become more complex with increasing challenges. That calls for ways and means to enhance and improve the concept to social presence and things get more complex. As one of the components of the Community of Inquiry Model, social presence is seen as a comprise of how learners effectively project themselves in a learning environment. Effective cultivation of social presence can lead to more motivated students, success in the class, and, of course, effective online instruction. However, increasing social presence in an online course can be easier said than done. So, some food of thoughts to enhance SP, identify goals and objectives, let members know you are Human, get them to understand their needs, and produce valuable content.
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