Many years of communication research have shown that an increase in immediacy has been a major factor that affects students‘ perceptions of instructor credibility which in turn affects, both students‘ cognitive and affective learning, student state motivation and a variety of other positive outcomes. However, in order for immediacy to be effective, instructor and student must be in the same location at the same time. With the recent push toward on-line classes, what can we find to act like immediacy in a text based format? This research suggests that face threat mitigation can be used in a text-based environment, to achieve the pro-social goals of instructor credibility and student state motivation to the same extent as it does when coupled with immediacy. This study is a replication of a study done by Witt and Kerssen-Griep (2012). In the original study face threat mitigation (FTM) was coupled with instructor nonverbal immediacy (NVI) and they examined the impact these factors had on instructor credibility (i.e., competence, character, and caring) and student state motivation in a video simulated feedback situation. This study surveyed 218 undergraduate students in an introductory communication course. Students were randomly assigned to read hypothetical scenarios in which FTM was manipulated in a manner similar to Witt and Kerssen-Griep‘s study. They responded to three scales. The current study removed the instructor by using a simulated electronic feedback correspondence. Results of a MANCOVA and four separate ANOVAs were similar to those of the original findings. FTM was found to have a significant positive relationship with instructor credibility (i.e., competence, character, and caring) and student state motivation.

Based on linear models, this study demonstrated that the psychological and social structures of the classroom, viewed as a naturalistic human system, impact learning outcomes. To operationalize learning outcomes, final grades in the course and a subject self report scale tapping perceptions of utility of material taught were used. The social and psychological structures of the classroom-as-a-human-system were operationalized through the following variables: the degree of social integration of each student, based on network analytic procedures; communication apprehension of students; dimensions of perceived credibility of instructors; dimensions of interpersonal attraction to instructors; perceived satisfaction with task demands of the course; and adjusted orientation to communication, based on communication apprehension scores and network data. Data were obtained from five sections of a multi-section communication course of a large state institution of higher learning in the southwestern region of the United States. Differences in sex were not found.