Staying Connected Online: Investigating Teaching, Social, and Cognitive Presence among Undergraduates

Abstract

Online learning has emerged as a significant aspect of higher education, treating students’ online presence as a key factor influencing engagement and learning outcomes. Navigated by the Community of Inquiry framework, the present research explores undergraduate learners’ perceptions of teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence in online classes, together with the connections between these dimensions. Data were collected from 79 undergraduate students using a quantitative survey research design. The survey was a 31-item questionnaire adapted from Garrison and Arbaugh (2007). The instrument included three sections evaluating three dimensions: teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Reliability analysis presented excellent internal consistency for all dimensions, with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of .969. Descriptive analyses also disclosed that students perceived teaching presence most positively, especially with regards to the lecturer’s communication and guidance. Meanwhile, cognitive presence was also highly rated, indicating students’ active engagement in exploration, integration, and application of knowledge. Conversely, social presence received relatively lower ratings, specifically related to group cohesion and comfort in stating disagreement. Apart from that, correlation analyses displayed significant positive relationships among teaching, social, and cognitive presence. The strongest association was found between social and cognitive presence, implying that meaningful social interaction contributes significantly to knowledge construction in online learning environments. All in all, the findings emphasise the significance of nurturing balanced instructional, social, and cognitive support to improve students’ online learning experiences.