Examining the relationships among collaborative learning, social presence and satisfaction in a distance learning environment

The three variables examined in this study are the students' perceived levels of (a) collaborative learning, (b) social presence and (c) overall satisfaction in a distance learning environment. This research studied the relationship of these three variables and, furthermore, identified critical factors related to them. The participants were forty-eight graduate students who took a distance course in health education and worked on a collaborative learning project of developing a comprehensive HIV-AIDS prevention plan. To answer research questions, multiple data were collected from three sources: (a) the questionnaire, (b) online postings, and (c) face-to-face interviews with students. The results revealed that students who perceived high levels of collaborative learning tend to be more satisfied with their distance course than those who had low levels of collaborative learning. Additionally, students with high perceptions of collaborative learning also perceived high levels of social presence. The number of previous distance courses and age were important factors affecting the levels of student satisfaction with distance education. In conclusion, the current study suggests that the perception of social presence is a critical factor affecting student experiences with online collaborative learning, and that instructional designers and distance educators need to carefully design collaborative and socio-affective distance learning environments.