Hi Everyone,

The information I received at a recent workshop I attended made me reflect on Social Presence Literacy. 

Slides may be found in this GDrive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13yUHeRdlUxzvV9gAq92wpKJHFxVmf6o9?usp=share_link

The offerings included: a framework for academic communities of engagement, effective uses of  asynchronous video to engage with learners, and social annotation as an active and participatory method for discussing course resources. 

First, I was able to make many connections between what Borup et al. (2020) offered as support structures for online learning, learner engagement, and social presence literacy. West (2025) introduced their academic communities of engagement framework that includes: cognitive, behavioral, and affective engagement with differing levels of support for personal, community, independent engagement. Putting this model into practice involves considering ways we can help learners to engage by defining where they are at and applying strategies for meeting them there, depending on their cognitive, behavioral, or affective status (which you determine). 

This was a framework I felt I might be able to put to the test in my online courses, by determining where the student was at and applying needed intervention based on this formula. 

Additionally, the resource for producing effective asynchronous video feedback for learners was quite engaging and presented in this chapter of their book in a most playful, yet relevant manner. The information about why and strategies for how, I found to be quite useful (West & Borup, 2021), even though I already have a strong background in television and teaching video production. 

Lastly, West (2025) recommended tools for social annotation that were intriguing, because this is the first time I’ve heard of them. Has anyone here had experience using social annotation tools in an asynchronous discussion forum? I am interested to experiment and see how well they keep the course materials in front of the learner, while actively providing input and questions to bring the discussion all into one location for investigation. 

Thank you for this opportunity to share! 

All the Best,

-Dr. Sky 

References

Borup, J., Graham, C. R., West, R. E., Archambault, L., & Spring, K. J. (2020). Academic communities of engagement: An expansive lens for examining support structures in blended and online learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(2), 807-832.

West, R. E., & Borup, J. (2021). Teaching With Asynchronous Video: Strategies for Online Practitioners. https://doi.org/10.59668/245

West, R. (2025). August 2025 Learner Engagement Division membership meeting. (AECT). Association of Educational Communications and Technology.