Brief social presence improves delayed memory for online lecture content.
Lindsay A Santacroce1, Rachel Appiah1, Margot D Sullivan1
1Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Plos One
|January 29, 2025
Summary
Enhancing social presence in online classes by enabling cameras improved students' memory for lecture content. This social reward boosted enjoyment and group belonging, suggesting a way to improve academic performance in virtual learning environments.
Area of Science:
- Educational Technology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Videoconferencing became essential for postsecondary education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Understanding how to optimize synchronous online classes is crucial for effective remote learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if brief social presence in online classes enhances delayed memory for lecture material.
- To determine if social presence acts as a social reward, improving motivation and memory recall.
Main Methods:
- Undergraduate students participated in a mock synchronous online science lecture.
- Social presence was manipulated: high (cameras on before/after lecture) vs. low (cameras off).
- A surprise memory test and a subjective experience survey were administered after 24 hours.
Main Results:
- Participants in the high social presence condition showed significantly higher recognition memory for lecture content.
- Higher social presence was associated with greater self-reported enjoyment and a stronger sense of group belonging.
- Conversely, low social presence correlated with lower memory performance and subjective ratings.
Conclusions:
- Briefly enhancing social presence in virtual learning environments can positively impact academic performance.
- Leveraging social presence as a social reward may be an effective strategy to improve student engagement and memory in online education.
- These findings offer practical insights for optimizing synchronous online class design to support university students.
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