An Experimental Study of Instructor Immediacy and Cognitive Learning in an Online Classroom

The social underpinnings of learning make it important to understand how people experience themselves and form relationships in online settings. There is evidence that immediacy cues contribute to psychological closeness and learning outcomes. However, few studies have investigated immediacy outside of the social presence construct and its relationship to learning in online settings. This study employed a randomized one-factor experimental research design to explore the effects of manipulated immediacy on students' cognitive learning. In addition, two different technology-infused strategies for content delivery were explored. Participants were 576 students from an introductory psychology course. Cognitive learning was assessed just after exposure to the treatments, and again 5-6 weeks after exposure. ANOVAs and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to analyze the data, revealing that participants in the higher-immediacy groups generally showed greater learning gains and retention of learning than those in lower-immediacy groups. The results have important implications for instructors and designers who are seeking information to aid in the development of learning resources in online settings.