Social Presence and Cultural Competence in the Online Learning Environment (OLE): A Review of Literature

            In recent years, growth in new technology has altered the way in which students interact with both teachers and classmates (Kaminski, Switzer, & Gloeckner, 2009). Online learning involves asynchronous and synchronous events such as video or audio teleconferencing and live interactive chat rooms (Filimban, 2009).  Despite the high flexibility in online learning, Allen & Seaman (2011) explained that there is a higher dropout rate for online students as compared to traditional classroom setting. It was found that there is lack of teacher-immediacy, teacher presence, and student interaction with teachers which may cause the high attrition rates (Martin et al., 2012).

The objective of this article is to examine the relationship and importance of cultural competence and social presence in the Online Learning Environment (OLE)., explore methods used by scholar-practitioners to promote educational opportunities.  While much research has been conducted on these variables, a relationship of all these variables is under-represented in literature and research.

The literature review was based on related databases, such as CINAHL, Science Direct, MEDLINE, and EBSCO.  This article contributes to the growing body of knowledge on social presence, and provides a review of the relationship between social presence, student's learning and cultural competence.  The results from this study could also help educational institutions develop programs to address culturally based issues that may be affecting students overall success in learning.

References

Allen, I., & Seaman, J. (2011). Going the distance: Online education in the United States, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com

Filimban, G. Z. (2009). Factors that contribute to the effectiveness of online learning technology at Oregon State University (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3308568).

Kumar, G. & Suneja, A. (2011). Using moodle – an open source virtual learning environment in the academia. International Journal of Computing and Business Systems 1. Retrieved from http://www.ijecbs.com/January2011/N8Jan2011.pdf

Martin, F., Parker, M., & Deale, F. (2012). Examining interactivity in synchronous virtual classrooms. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 13(3), 227-261. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov from http://www.ijecbs.com/January2011/N8Jan2011.pdf