Despite the small number of participants interviewed this paper (27 page PDF) offers an interesting if idiosyncratic look at presence in online learning. It's clear that the interviewees, as the authors say, "wrestle with pre-existing ideas of presence inherited from holistic education theories" and demand "two cornerstones of a holistic notion of presence—undivided attention and embodiment." These, obviously, are a challenge in online learning, and we see the teachers laying down rules and conditions to enforce this in a way that, I think, undermines individual autonomy. The interviews are analyzed according to Aimee Whiteside's social presence model (20 page PDF) and hence discusses affective association, community cohesion, instructor involvement, interaction intensity, and knowledge and experience.
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