Emotional Presence in Building an Online Learning Community Among Non-traditional Graduate Students

Katie Koo,Mei Jiang

doi:10.24059/olj.v24i4.2307

Abstract

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework posits that a collaborative online teaching and learning process can be achieved through three interdependent dimensions of presence: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. Emotion is considered an important factor in successful online learning. This study explored non-traditional graduate students’ perceived emotional presence that emerged in participants’ online learning experiences. Based on quantitative and qualitative data from 45 non-traditional graduate students in the field of education, the study showed that participants demonstrated both positive emotional expressions (e.g., enjoyment and happiness) and negative expressions (e.g., frustration and disappointment) in their responses. Emotional presence ratings were found be significantly lower than cognitive, teaching, and social presence ratings. Emotions serving different functions were also identified in responses. Direct affectiveness surfaced where participants showed a strong emotional need to make connections with instructors and peers. Outcome emotions were also identified where participants showed emotional responses in regard to their eventual learning outcome. We also found emotional presence by itself a significant predictor of non-traditional graduate students’ satisfaction with online learning. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Highlights

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework posits that a collaborative online teaching and learning process can be achieved through three interdependent dimensions of presence: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence
Given the fact that building an emotional relationship between instructor and students in face-to-face classes is important for positive student learning outcomes (Korpershoek et al, 2016), it can be reasonably assumed that emotional presence and relationship-building play significant roles in the online learning environment
This study focused on non-traditional adult graduate students with an average age of 46 and examined the role emotion plays in their online learning process

Summary

Introduction

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework posits that a collaborative online teaching and learning process can be achieved through three interdependent dimensions of presence: cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence. This study explored non-traditional graduate students’ perceived emotional presence that emerged in participants’ online learning experiences. We found emotional presence by itself a significant predictor of non-traditional graduate students’ satisfaction with online learning. Limited research in higher education online learning has focused on non-traditional graduate students, a unique student body that may need additional attention. We aspired to understand the extent to which emotional presence and relationship building are involved in non-traditional graduate students’ online learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the roles emotional presence and relationship building play in online classes among non-traditional graduate students so that more emotional components could be incorporated into online course design to optimize learning outcomes. RQ3: How do emotional presence, cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence predict students’ satisfaction with their online learning experiences?

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