Socio-Cognitive Presence and Transactional Distance in a Learning Community for Graduate Student Research Training

: This research aims to determine how an increased socio-cognitive presence (Jézégou 2012) modulates transactional distance (Moore 1993) in a graduate research learning context. In other words, the main goal is to determine if, and in what way, the social interactions taking place in a technology-mediated community can lessen the difficulties associated with transactional distance, and how these interactions would support learning the scientific research process. This research is based on a case study conducted in a community of research and mutual assistance at a Canadian university. This community aims to develop graduate students’ scientific skills, support their research work, and gradually integrate them into the professional community. In total, 15 students and four faculty members were interviewed. A mixed content analysis method was used, including quantification of code co-occurrences and an interpretative analysis of participants’ comments. The study shows that, in a graduate research training context, increasing socio-cognitive presence through interactions within a technology-mediated community promotes students’ perceptions regarding the availability of peers and faculty. This, in turn, reinforces the sense of connection between students, and between students and faculty.