12008

12008

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (20 minutes, no formal paper)

Joan Leafman, A.T. Still UniversityMesa Campus, Arizona, USA, __ jleafman@atsu.edu __ Kathleen Mathieson, A.T. Still University Mesa Campus, Arizona, USA, __ kmathieson@atsu.edu __ Dr. Jeffrey Alexander, A.T. Still UniversityMesa Campus, Arizona, USA, __ jalexander@atsu.edu __ Dr. Helen Ewing, A.T. Still UniversityMesa Campus, Arizona, USA, __ hewing@atsu.edu __
 * Student Attitudes Toward the Addition of a Social Media Tool to Increase Social Presence in an Online Learning Environment**

Garrison’s (2000) Community of Inquiry educational model identifies three key elements - cognitive, teaching and social presence - as necessary to maximize a scholastic experience. Of the three, assuring that social presence is adequately addressed is especially challenging in an online environment. A study was conducted in the A.T. Still University Doctor of Health Sciences program to determine 1) if online graduate students perceived social presence was lacking within their Learning Management System (LMS) and 2) if these students would be interested in adding a social media tool to improve non-academic communication. Important results from the study will be highlighted. The presenter will engage the audience in a discussion of methods to increase social presence, promote collegiality and solicit input about the most appropriate next steps based on the survey data.

//Interactivity// This will be a highly interactive presentation. The background to the study will be presented along with targeted survey results. Based on the outcomes, the audience will be asked to share their experiences with social media tools and offer suggestions as to how to successfully incorporate a social media tool into an online LMS. Questions to be considered: Privacy, appropriate behavior, degree of individual and collective freedom, and establishing a site of social value without a sense of administrative or instructor monitoring.

All Audiences Social Presence, Social Media Tools, Online Learning, Community of Inquiry