Community of Inquiry (COI) model developed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer<\/a>. This model provides a way to understand the learning experience within online environment, such as Canvas, the learning management system. The model examines the interplay of teaching, cognitive, and social presence in the space. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nFor this post, I will focus on social presence, which Boston et. al. describe as \u201cthe ability of learners to project themselves socially and emotionally as well as their ability to perceive other learners as \u2018real people\u2019\u201d (2019). Simply put, social presence is how learners perceive<\/em> their peers and how they want to be perceived<\/em> by their peers.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s worth noting that this isn\u2019t anything particularly unusual or unique to the educational setting. Any time we engage with one another socially, we\u2019re contributing to how we would like to be perceived by others or how others are perceived by us. For example, I have a passion for the American Midwest (Indiana, especially) and a keen interest in gothic storytelling, and these interests often get expressed via the references I make, the information I share, the clothes I wear, the memes I post online, etc. When Stranger Things<\/em> first came out, a popular media located at the intersection of these two things, I had friends who (correctly) identified it as something I would love\u2014or, in their words, \u201cvery John-Carter-core.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe primary difference between this and how social presence appears in an educational setting is that the classroom (virtual or in-person) is necessarily a more controlled environment. As instructors, we have a degree of control over things like discussion board topics, classroom activities, and other engagement opportunities that give learners opportunities to express themselves socially, which can have a significant impact.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Why is Social Presence Important?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u00a0Seeing the tangible significance of social presence can be difficult. \u00a0Obviously, we would like our learners to have positive social interactions in the learning environment, but should this consideration carry as much weight as other curricular design concerns, such as classroom engagement, unit planning, or assignment design?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The short answer is: Yes!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The slightly longer answer is: Yes, because humans are social creatures, and how we feel about the relationships we have with others affects the way we engage in the spaces facilitating those relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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