{"title":"Enhancing online learning environments using social presence: evidence from hospitality online courses during COVID-19","authors":"Kyrie Eleison Muñoz, M. Wang, Aaron Tham","doi":"10.1080/15313220.2021.1908871","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT COVID-19 has flipped traditional face-to-face exchanges. This quickly prompted involuntary changes that required appropriate pedagogical strategies suited to online courses. This study explored the experiences, interactions, and social presence (SP) of participants involved in the 2020 spring term postgraduate program in a Taiwanese university. Through the interviews with instructors and students, SP was analyzed in terms of affective association, community cohesion, instructor involvement, and interaction intensity. Results showed that SP was perceived favorably by students while teachers have attempted to enhance the learning environment by augmenting the SP indicators. This study advances the understanding that despite having low perceptions on community cohesiveness and interaction intensity, there is some emerging evidence to suggest that SP has been observed by learners even under the pressures and limitations imposed by COVID-19 on HEIs. Theoretical and practical contributions are provided to assist universities navigating their way out of COVID-19.","PeriodicalId":46100,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2021-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/15313220.2021.1908871","citationCount":"15","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15313220.2021.1908871","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 15
Abstract
ABSTRACT COVID-19 has flipped traditional face-to-face exchanges. This quickly prompted involuntary changes that required appropriate pedagogical strategies suited to online courses. This study explored the experiences, interactions, and social presence (SP) of participants involved in the 2020 spring term postgraduate program in a Taiwanese university. Through the interviews with instructors and students, SP was analyzed in terms of affective association, community cohesion, instructor involvement, and interaction intensity. Results showed that SP was perceived favorably by students while teachers have attempted to enhance the learning environment by augmenting the SP indicators. This study advances the understanding that despite having low perceptions on community cohesiveness and interaction intensity, there is some emerging evidence to suggest that SP has been observed by learners even under the pressures and limitations imposed by COVID-19 on HEIs. Theoretical and practical contributions are provided to assist universities navigating their way out of COVID-19.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism is the professional journal of the International Society of Travel & Tourism Educators (ISTTE). This journal serves as an international interdisciplinary forum and reference source for travel and tourism education. The readership of the journal is international in scope, with a good representation in college and university libraries as well as high schools and professional schools offering courses in travel and tourism.