STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF THE USE OF STUDENT-GENERATED VIDEO IN ONLINE DISCUSSIONS AS A MECHANISM TO ESTABLISH SOCIAL PRESENCE FOR NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENTS: A CASE STUDY

This report presents a case study of five online non-traditional undergraduate students who used self-created video discussion posts for a class.The study attempted to discover the influence that this type of action had on establishing social presence in online courses, which is often described as one of the critical factors in student success and satisfaction with online classes.In this study students indicated that they felt they had established a strong social presence in the online class as a result of using self-created discussion videos.Additionally, several themes emerged in regard to using self-created discussion videos; these major themes were course engagement, projection of self, and connections to other classmates and the professor.Sub-themes were present in each of the major themes as well.These included time considerations, technical issues, and interest in innovation.Overall, the use of self-created student discussion video posts did seem to create a sense of social presence for these participants in their online class.