A Mixed Methods Examination of Instructor Social Presence in Accelerated Online Courses

Social Presence theory seeks to explain how people present themselves as being “there” and “real” while using a communication medium. Most studies on social presence focus on how students present themselves and/or are perceived as being “there” and “real” in computer-mediated environments. However, to date, very few studies have focused on how instructors establish and maintain their own social presence in online learning environments. The following study explored the phenomenon of instructor social presence in accelerated online courses. The results suggest that the construct of presence is more complicated than previously thought and that future studies should employ multiple methods to further explore the concept of instructor social presence.