Abstract
Emotion plays a critical role in learning, including the online learning experience. However, without the proper tools for engagement, online learning can be an isolating experience. The importance of emotion in teaching and learning is as essential to consider as the curriculum itself. Instructors should consider strategies for promoting emotional presence and engagement in online learning environments and the ways in which emotions influence student's motivation, decision making, and ultimately, the learning process. The chapter provides an overview of the importance of considering the connection between emotion and online learning as well as some of the research that addresses the ways in which to create emotionally sound online courses where the emotional needs of online learners are met.
TopDefining Emotion
Emotions are multi-dimensional and described as being subjective, biological, purposive, and expressive phenomena (Izard, 1993; Mauss et al., 2005). Emotions are best described as a state of feeling but are also biological responses (Reeve, 2015). Emotions are purposeful in that certain feelings then lead to purposeful action, such as the feeling of hunger leads to eating (Reeve, 2015). Emotions are also considered a social expressive phenomenon because when a person becomes emotional, facial, postural, and vocal signals are sent and communicated, intentionally or not (Reeve, 2015). Reeve (2015) stated that “emotions are short-lived, feeling-purposive-expressive-bodily responses that help us to adapt to the opportunities and challenges we face during important life events” (p. 340).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Community of Inquiry Model: The Community of Inquiry Model is ideal for online learning and views community as further developing as a result of the relationship between three elements which are social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence ( Garrison et al., 2000 ).
Emotional Presence: Cleveland-Innes and Campbell (2012) defined emotional presence as “the outward expression of emotion, affect, and feeling by individuals and among individuals in a community of inquiry, as they relate to and interact with the learning technology, course content, students, and the instructor” (p. 283).
Emotions: Emotions are defined as “complex but coordinated feeling-arousal-purposive-expressive reactions to the significant events in our lives (e.g., an opportunity, a threat, a loss; Izard, 1993 AU174: The in-text citation "Izard, 1993" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. as cited in Reeve, 2015 , p.10). Reeve (2015) further defined emotion as generating “brief, attention- getting busts of energy-like adaptive behavior” (p.10).
Constructivism: The theory constructivism arose from Piagetian and Vygotskian perspectives and describes learning as taking place when people construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world through previous experiences and then reflecting on those experiences ( Harasim, 2012 ).