Computers and Composition Dec 2021 Open Access

Social presence in online writing instruction: Distinguishing between presence, comfort, attitudes, and learning

Mary K. Stewart

Abstract

As a component of the Community of Inquiry Framework, social presence is typically defined as students “feeling real” enough to interact with and learn from peers online. This article complicates social presence for an online writing instruction (OWI) context, differentiating between social presence, social comfort, attitudes about online learning, and social learning. The study was initially designed to examine graduate students’ perceptions of social presence as an element of online teaching and learning in two sections of an Online Composition Pedagogy course offered in Spring 2020 and Summer 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the project, since students were now learning about hybrid and online pedagogy against the backdrop of their own experiences as emergency remote students and teachers. Analysis of 21 students’ reflections written during the courses indicates that distinguishing between social presence per se and social comfort, attitudes, and learning helps to account for the individual and social contexts of course participants. Ultimately, this article argues that simply inviting students to “feel real” or positioning yourself as a “real” instructor is not sufficient for establishing the types of social interactions that composition studies values.

Journal
Computers and Composition
Published
2021-12-01
DOI
10.1016/j.compcom.2021.102669
Open Access
OA PDF Hybrid
Topics
writing pedagogy online writing instruction

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (7)

  1. Shea et al. (2025)
    Composing Anti-Oppressive Communities Using Classroom Agreements
    Pedagogy
  2. Lawson et al. (2024)
    Ecologies, bodies, and OWI teacher preparation: reflecting on a practicum for g…
    Computers and Composition
  3. Narang (2024)
    Creating opportunities and spaces for social interactions in online contexts: A…
    Computers and Composition
  4. Zhang-Wu (2023)
    And Gladly Teach: Cultivating Learning Community in an Asynchronous Online Adva…
    College English
  5. Brodeur et al. (2023)
    Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English
    Research in the Teaching of English
Show all 7 →
  1. Reid (2022)
    Re-assessing “readiness” in OWI: Toward a trauma-informed approach to supportin…
    Computers and Composition
  2. Miner (2022)
    “Wild, wild west” or program administration? Traversing politics as writing adm…
    Computers and Composition

Cites in this index (7)

  1. Stewart (2019)
    The Community of Inquiry Survey: An Assessment Instrument for Online Writing Courses
    Computers and Composition
  2. Bjork (2018)
    Integrating Usability Testing with Digital Rhetoric in OWI
    Computers and Composition
  3. Borgman et al. (2018)
    Considerations of Access and Design in the Online Writing Classroom
    Computers and Composition
  4. Greer et al. (2018)
    User-Centered Design as a Foundation for Effective Online Writing Instruction
    Computers and Composition
  5. Stewart (2017)
    Communities of Inquiry: A Heuristic for Designing and Assessing Interactive Lea…
    Computers and Composition
Show all 7 →
  1. Rendahl et al. (2013)
    Toward a Complexity of Online Learning: Learners in Online First-Year Writing
    Computers and Composition
  2. Gillam et al. (2013)
    Re-embodying Online Composition: Ecologies of Writing in Unreal Time and Space
    Computers and Composition
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. Aragon (2003)
    Creating social presence in online environments
    New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education  ↗
  2. Armellini (2016)
    Social presence in the 21st century: An adjustment to the Community of Inquiry framework
    British Journal of Educational Technology  ↗
  3. Carlon (2012)
    The community of inquiry instrument: Validation and results in online health care disciplines
    Computers & Education  ↗
  4. Cunningham (2015)
    Mechanizing people and pedagogy: Establishing social presence in the online classroom
    Online Learning  ↗
  5. Hilliard (2019)
    Time well spent: Creating a community of inquiry in blended first-year writing courses
    The Internet and Higher Education  ↗
  6. Kreijns (2014)
    Community of Inquiry: Social presence revisited
    E–Learning and Digital Media  ↗
  7. Lowenthal (2017)
    In search of a better understanding of social presence: An investigation into how researc…
    Distance Education  ↗
  8. Peacock (2019)
    Promoting a sense of belonging in online learning communities of inquiry
    Online learning  ↗
  9. Stewart (2021)
    The community of inquiry in writing studies survey: Interpreting social presence in disci…
    Online Learning  ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 11 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Written Communication Jul 2025
    Does ChatGPT Write Like a Student? Engagement Markers in Argumentative Essays ↗
    Feng (Kevin) Jiang; Ken Hyland
    writing pedagogy quantitative research multimodality online writing instruction artificial intelligence
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2022
    Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online Technical Writing Courses ↗
    Heidi Skurat Harris; Michael Greer
    writing pedagogy curriculum design multimodality online writing instruction technical communication
  3. Computers and Composition Dec 2021
    Digital surveillance in online writing instruction: Panopticism and simulation in learning management systems ↗
    Eric James York
    writing pedagogy online writing instruction
  4. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2021
    Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online Technical Writing Courses ↗
    Heidi S. Harris; Michael Greer
    writing pedagogy curriculum design multimodality online writing instruction technical communication
  5. Computers and Composition Mar 2020
    The Current State of Analytics: Implications for Learning Management System (LMS) Use in Writing Pedagogy ↗
    Ann Hill Duin; Jason Tham
    writing pedagogy online writing instruction