You Can Run But You Cannot Hide: Building Social Presence in Online Learning Through Voice Thread

The purposes of this study were to examine students’ perceptions of online learning and identify attributes that contributes to a sense of a community. A total of 228 students participated in the study, which attempted to determine whether students perceived a social presence in the online course as a result of using VoiceThread. Findings revealed students’ perceptions of a high-quality course were dependent upon continual communication with the instructor, a predetermined method of connecting students with one another and students’ ability to express their opinions. VoiceThread technology allowed online learners to make humanistic connections with students and the instructor.