Abstract
This research addresses the affordances of using Voki avatars to create a sense of social presence in an asynchronous online writing classroom setting. Digital media afford online educators the opportunity to harness different technologies and new ways of being in a digital classroom that can enhance student engagement in ways similar to yet unlike face-to-face instruction, but this current research questions the effectiveness of these technologies. Original data was obtained from forty students in an online writing course who responded to open-ended questions about their perception of social presence. This study reiterates the importance of establishing social presence in an online course, but suggests students may find specific Web 2.0 technology less effective than other pedagogical methods.
Highlights
Mechanizing people and pedagogy: Establishing social presence in the online classroomOnline classes can be impersonal and lack the simple but meaningful verbal and nonverbal cues and the overall social presence and immediate response-time that permeates traditional, face-to-face classrooms
This study found that, in this specific online class, the use of Voki avatars did not play a significant role in establishing social presence or creating a sense of community
As Arbaugh, Bangert, and Cleveland-Innes (2010) found, their research suggests the possibility that the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework may be more applicable to applied disciplines than pure disciplines
Summary
Mechanizing people and pedagogy: Establishing social presence in the online classroomOnline classes can be impersonal and lack the simple but meaningful verbal and nonverbal cues and the overall social presence and immediate response-time that permeates traditional, face-to-face classrooms. Approximating social presence can be a challenge in digital environments, incorporating avatars might be one way to enrich online learning. Opportunity to harness different technologies and ways of replicating and, perhaps, enhancing more traditional pedagogical techniques in a digital classroom that can encourage student engagement in ways similar to, yet unlike, face-to-face instruction. This study considers the ways that a specific Web 2.0 technology might enhance or “power up” This study addresses the perceived effectiveness of using Voki avatars (www.voki.com), a specific type of Web 2.0 technology, to establish a sense of social presence (Short, Williams, & Christie, 1976) in an asynchronous online writing class. Effectiveness is operationalized as whether students provided qualitative responses to a survey discussing or mentioning, that the use of Vokis helped create a sense of a more personalized class experience and/or helped students feel as though they connected with another person in the class, creating a sense of community
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