Collaboration, Presence and Performance in Virtual Learning Environments: Can Collaboration be Used to Measure Shared Presence?

This paper investigates the relationship between collaborative learning performances and sense of shared presence in a virtual learning environment under particular control conditions. The results, reported here, suggest that absence of collaboration to be causally related to absence of shared presence, at for least socially constructed feeling of shared presence, as defined by Romano (2002). This result suggests a way of measuring at least a component of shared presence, though the observation of the dialogue and the behaviour of the individuals collaborating. Due to the relative small number of participants to the study these results must be considered as “a case study” that validates the approach taken and provides suggestions for the development of future studies.