Does social presence relate to knowledge sharing in virtual learning teams?

The purpose of this study was to identify whether social presence relates to knowledge sharing in virtual learning teams in distance education. The participants in the study were 1355 students engaged in distance education programs. Both split sample and the total sample were used for different analyses. The findings of the study confirmed social presence as a two-dimensional construct, which involves interactive responses and cohesive-affective responses. Only interactive responses were found to relate to knowledge sharing. The results of the study can be used by instructional designers and instructors to design instructional environments that encourage effective social interaction towards knowledge sharing.