A Framework for Social Presence in Synchronous Cyber Classrooms

Social presence is considered as an essential element to promote social interaction. With the development of online synchronous learning, learners can conduct cyber face-to-face communication with other participants. When social cues are delivered by computer devices in real-time, it becomes a real possibility for students to experience actual learning atmosphere while still retaining the flexibility and convenience of online learning. However, the perceived social presence among learners is not the same for everyone. In order to better facilitate social interaction in a synchronous cyber classroom, this study explored what factors would affect social presence and verified if social presence has positive effects on learner participation and interactivity satisfaction. The results revealed that the major factors affecting social presence are intimacy, user friendliness, responsiveness, extroversion, and cue richness in a synchronous cyber classroom. Moreover, social presence was found to have positive effects on both learner participation and interactivity satisfaction.