Using a telephone call to increase social presence in online classes.

Although perceived as a means of bringing people together, the online environment can also create isolation. Technology alone does not create a community of learning, and a learning community with critical discourse does not just happen. Rather, online, formalized learning carried out remotely using computer-mediated technology relies on good instructional design, a learning management system supported by technology, and a facilitator who sets the tone for participation and fosters social presence and teacher immediacy. Online instructors must be a powerful force within the online classroom. The concepts of social presence and teacher immediacy are not new to education. Short, Williams, and Christie (1976) developed the theory of social presence, defined as the degree of quality or state of being there when using an outside medium to communicate. Mehrabian (1967) conceptualized teacher immediacy as consisting of behaviors that reduce physical or psychological distance in interpersonal communication. Social presence and teacher immediacy have a positive impact on student satisfaction and learning (Christophel, 1990; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007; Wallace, 2003). Social climates in computer-mediated instruction are far different than face-to-face environments. Building a community of learning in the online environment involves developing social presence across time and distance. To develop social presence between the students and instructors, the authors instituted a personal telephone call to students in the first week of class.