José Dutra de Oliveira Neto 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation DIGITAL PROFICIENCY STRENGTHENS SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSES Euro Marques Júnior José Dutra de Oliveira Neto Emília M. R. Marques 17th-19th of November, 2014 - Seville (Spain)

Introduction This article’s purpose is to examine digital proficiency’s effect on the perception of social presence within collaborative learning environments.

Context Individual Learning Collaborative Learning

Importance The key factor in collaborative learning´s effectiveness is social interaction, and the lack of it is one cause of decrease in a course´s quality. (Kreijns, Kirschner et al., 2003)

Higher Education ODL Open and Distance Learning Face-to-face Blended Growth of 12% Growth of 3%. Blended 16% of enrollment Can reach 50% Brazil - 2012 data.

Digital Proficiency Digital proficiency is an indicator of how effectively individuals and organizations are involved with digital technology for their own benefit, as well as for the benefit of their external and internal clients.

Levels of Digital Inclusion Benefits Digital proficiency Digital Access

Social Presence “is the ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g., course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop inter-personal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities” (Garrison, 2011).

ODL Discussion Forum Community of Inquiry Social Presence

Participation in Distance Education Courses Personal Characteristics Features of the Course Social Interactions Social Presence

Basic Digital Proficiency a gathering of knowledge and skills for using the computer and the Internet, which are necessary and sufficient to execute basic tasks, such as typing a text or accessing the Internet.

Advanced Digital Proficiency a gathering of knowledge and skills for using the computer and the Internet, which are necessary and sufficient for a user to execute more complex tasks, such as using a spreadsheet, making a presentation or working with a figure.

Methodology The methodology followed in order to achieve the proposed objective was based on the application of two research instruments (online survey using Survey Monkey, with a link in Moodle), one intended to verify social presence, and another to measure digital proficiency. This way, it was possible to verify the correlations between both of these variables in the studied sample, using IBM SPSS.

Samples Description The first sample, gathered in 2014, was comprised of 13 students of an extension course offered by a public university in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. 54% of the inquired were male, with an average age of 32 years, and 46% were female, with an average age of 29 years. 7% were still undertaking their graduation and 37% had already concluded it. 12% were already specialized, 35% had already concluded their master’s degree and 9% were PhDs.

Samples Description The course was entirely developed through distance learning between the 6th of January and the 7th of February 2014, using audiovisual materials, discussion forums, and the support of an online tutor utilizing the Moodle platform.

Samples Description The second sample, gathered in 2014, was formed by 43 students from a private college in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with an average age of 33 years, of which 91% were male and 9% female. This was a blended course; its in-person class, from the Engineering area, used the Moodle platform as a didactic support. In addition to being used as a teaching material repository, Moodle was used for online activities and discussion forums.

Samples Description The third sample, gathered in 2013, was comprised of 23 college teachers in the area of Administration, in Brazil, participating in a blended postgraduate course that used the Moodle Platform as a didactic support, who voluntarily replied to the questionnaires. Their average age was 36 years, 48% were female and 52% were male.

Results Table 1. Average and standard deviation for the variables of each sample Sample BDP ADP SP A – Course of Extension Average 4,73 4,52 4,20   N 13 12 Standard Deviation 0,48 0,57 0,75 B – University 4,38 4,30 4,04 43 0,81 0,85 0,91 C – Specialization 4,88 4,82 4,65 20 0,24 0,32 0,34 Total 4,57 4,47 4,23 76 75 0,68 0,73 BDP: basic digital proficiency, ADP: advanced digital proficiency, SP: social presence.

Results Table 2. Correlations between the variables Pearson Correlation BDP ADP SP 1 0.868** 0.420** 0.375** ** The correlation is significant on level 0.01 (two extremities) BDP: basic digital proficiency, ADP: advanced digital proficiency, SP: social presence

Discussion It is possible that a higher digital proficiency enables easier utilization of virtual learning environment resources, as well as an increase in confidence in utilizing new technologies and collaborative learning tools. Thus, a higher participation in Virtual Learning Environment activities and a more intense online interaction may be reflected in a higher perception of social presence.

Conclusions The results indicated that digital proficiency has a moderate correlation (significant in a 0.01 level) with social presence, which suggests that an increase in digital proficiency through student capacity building will have a positive impact on the perception of social presence. This way, students may have better conditions to interact in the learning environment and enjoy the benefits of computer based collaborative learning.

Conclusions For one to access the benefits of digital society, such as electronic commerce, e-learning, Internet banking, online services, digital communication and entertainment, et cetera, it is necessary not only to increase digital access, but digital proficiency as well. In poor or developing countries and regions, these factors may be critical to the success of courses that utilize distance learning resources.

José Dutra de Oliveira Neto Thank you! Euro Marques Júnior FAAG Agudos, Brazil euro.marques@faag.com.br José Dutra de Oliveira Neto USP Ribeirão Preto, Brazil dutra@usp.br Emília M. R. Marques UNESP Bauru, Brazil emilia@fc.unesp.br CAPES (23038.032613/2009-21)