Building a Community of Learners: The Value of Social Presence and Peer Mentoring in an Online Nutrition Course

Abstract

“Social Presence” or a sense of ‘belonging’ is important in any classroom setting, whether face to face or at a distance. It is needed to create a level of comfort in which people feel at ease around the teacher/facilitator and other class participants. Social Presence is a direct contributor to the success of an education experience when there are affective goals, as well as purely cognitive ones (Garrison, D., Anderson, G. & Archer, W., 2001). Aragon (2003) identified a number of strategies used to establish and maintain social presence online. After a number of Aragon’s strategies were utilized in course design, Community Nutrition Educators (CNEs) in the Simply Good Eating Program who participated in online nutrition course offerings were surveyed on the ‘social presence’ aspect of the course. Results indicate that CNEs found most of the ‘social presence’ strategies used in nutrition course design ‘useful to very useful’ for increasing their level of comfort. In the most recent course offering, where peer mentors were involved, post course surveys administered to students, and reflection papers completed by peer mentors suggest the use of peer mentoring to be a valuable course component. Social presence strategies and peer mentoring opportunities should not be underestimated when designing courses at a distance, as they help to create a learner centered environment, offer a level of comfort, and enhance knowledge sharing, which can all encourage student success.