Equitable Teaching Practices: Social Presence - Brenda East Testimonial
Social presence has become increasingly important in distance learning. In my online psychology courses, the Comments tool is one method by which students experience social presence. The assignment is called Staying Connected. Weekly, a conversation topic is posted and students must post their comment and respond to at least one other person. Topics vary based on current events or trends, an upcoming reading, everyday life, or just for fun. For example, students were asked, “What is the weirdest dream you can remember?” The question ties to the chapter on Consciousness and everyday experiences. Another example is more serious and students were asked to address “Why do they think men are less likely to report sexual assault?” The prompts may include a YouTube video, social media comment, or newsfeed. One student wrote, “I really enjoyed doing the staying connected activities for the class because it was mostly us expressing our opinions and discussing with our classmates and since we can’t interact with our classmates because of COVID, I think this is a really great alternative.” Another student wrote, “My favorite of the [Staying Connected] posts were definitely the funny stories we all posted last week.
I will never forget the poor girl whose daughter cut her [mother’s] hair just trying to soothe her [mother’s] woes. That is so terrible and so funny at the same time.” According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, social interactions provide an opportunity for sharing cultural experiences, which can create shared meaning and better understanding of cultural similarities and differences. The Staying Connected affords students the opportunity to share cultural knowledge and behaviors which promotes their cognitive and socioemotional growth.
Thought-provoking, engaging, interactive, challenging, and encouraging are other comments associated with Staying Connected. Although, no statistical data exists that correlates the Staying Connected assignment and student retention in my classes, most students feel less disconnected and develop a sense of community because of the assignment.
