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Investigating Social Presence Dynamics in Online Education

This research study delves into the multifaceted realm of social presence in online education, encompassing the existence and manifestation of social presence indicators in students' engagement with discussion boards within asynchronous online courses. Social presence manifests when individuals perceive themselves to be simultaneously present with others through a communication medium, thereby cultivating a shared sense of togetherness. The dissertation addresses the impact of course disciplines, exploring the significant influence of both STEM and non-STEM courses on the manifestation of social presence indicators. Furthermore, the study delves into the influence of course duration on the social presence level, unveiling critical insights into the challenges posed by prolonged courses on sustaining student engagement and interaction.This study, randomly selecting sample from Coursera, employed a methodology, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to assess social presence within online courses. The approach consisted of five key stages, involving Python-based web crawling, manual keyword identification, data processing, statistical analysis using R, and qualitative exploration. The insights obtained offer valuable suggestions for enhancing social presence in future online educational settings. While acknowledging certain limitations regarding sample size and keyword identification, the study provides valuable contributions to the evolving landscape of online education research, offering practical implications for course design and facilitation in promoting an enriched and engaging online learning environment. / Communication Sciences

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/10353
Date12 1900
CreatorsSun, Weimei
ContributorsLombard, Matthew, Iliadis, Andrew, Kogen, Lauren
PublisherTemple University. Libraries
Source SetsTemple University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis/Dissertation, Text
Format153 pages
RightsIN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Relationhttp://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/10315, Theses and Dissertations

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