Creating Meaningful Social Presence in Online Courses

Presenter: Jennifer Reeves, Ph.D., Director of Dissertation Support Services, Professor, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education & School of Criminal Justice

Description: Using Garrison, Anderson and Archer's (2000) Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework, this roundtable will focus on ways to create meaningful and lasting social presence in your online classes, meetings, and/or virtual conference. According to Garrison et al. social presence is “the ability of participants in a community of inquiry to project themselves socially and emotionally, as ‘real’ people (i.e., their full personality), through the medium of communication being used.” (p. 94). Therefore, this roundtable will discuss various communication mediums and tips for successfully creating social presence that is lasting and meaningful. Ideas such as more personable and exciting introductory posts on discussion boards; affable zoom sessions, including the use of breakout rooms; and personal takeaways will be shared. The moderator will then open it up for additional discussion by roundtable attendees to share their experiences. The moderator will compile all feedback in real time and share with the group for ideas that can be implemented immediately in their own K-20 course, faculty meeting, virtual conference, or any online learning/sharing environment.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Describe the COI Framework.
2. Discuss strategies for enhancing social presence in your online classes.
3. Share strategies for enhancing social presence in your online classes.