An analysis of instructor social presence in online text and asynchronous video feedback comments

Abstract

Online and blended instructors are increasingly providing student feedback via asynchronous video, and students have reported in previous research that they are better able to perceive their instructors' social presence in video as compared to text. However, research is lacking that examines actual feedback comments for indicators of social presence. We addressed this gap by coding for indicators of social presence in 422 text and asynchronous video feedback comments provided to preservice teachers in three blended and online courses. Minimal differences were found in the frequency of social presence indicators between text and video feedback. However, we warn against interpreting this finding too simplistically. While text and video feedback had similar numbers of indicators, the indicators in video feedback may have had a larger impact on social presence due to the richness of the medium. Further research is needed in order to understand how text and video feedback promote social presence in online courses.