Investigating the Enactment of Social Presence in Blended Adult Education

Autor/inn/en	Goeman, Katie; De Grez, Luc; van den Muijsenberg, Eline; Elen, Jan
Titel	Investigating the Enactment of Social Presence in Blended Adult Education
Quelle	In: Educational Research, 62 (2020) 3, S.340-356 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0013-1881
DOI	10.1080/00131881.2020.1796517
Schlagwörter	Adult Education; Blended Learning; Interpersonal Relationship; Intervention; Adult Students; Foreign Countries; Student Attitudes; Coordinators; Online Courses; Educational Technology; Belgium + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Student; Students; Erwachsenenalter; Studentin; Schüler; Schülerin; Ausland; Schülerverhalten; Koordinator; Online course; Online-Kurs; Unterrichtsmedien; Belgien
Abstract	Background: While open-cohort blended education programmes allow for accessible and flexible study trajectories, they may present social challenges to learners. Social presence is a possible a way of enhancing adult learners' success. It can lead to an increased perception of community, which may result in lower rates of dropping out. Purpose: This study investigates how social presence may be enacted in blended adult education programmes with open cohorts. The paper reports on the first phase of a design-based research study focused on programme-level strategies to establish social presence. This includes three distinct phases: (1) a contextual analysis and jointly agreed problem setting; (2) a literature review to identify and develop social presence strategies, grounded in theory; and (3) a qualitative study to scrutinise the perceptions of adult learners and programme coordinators regarding the embedding of the social presence strategies in the ecological setting. Method: Based on a review of the literature that addressed the strategies to enact facets of social presence, three intervention scenarios for practice were elaborated. These were deliberately specified at the programme level -- hence encompassing multiple separate courses. Each intervention scenario proposed activities carried out by particular actors, at particular time points during a programme, by means of a certain medium and targeting a certain group size. Each intervention scenario was systematically assessed by means of semi-structured interviews with adult learners and programme coordinators, using an approach based on Kano matrices. Findings: The analysis indicated that learners and programme coordinators were not in favour of a series of programme-wide interventions which lead to enactment of social presence. However, the study also showed they were, though, in favour of shared course-related experiences. Although there were contradictory perceptions among learners and staff, the allocation of time and the compulsory nature of social presence activities seemed to be decisive factors. Conclusions: This study highlights that it is crucial to assess the perceptions of the full range of stakeholders prior to an intervention, in order to establish shared priorities. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01