UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
College of Science, Engineering and Technology
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INF3720: Human-Computer Interaction
Assignment 2 — Year Module 2026
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INF3720
Module Code:
Human-Computer Interaction
Module Name:
Assignment 2 (Chapters 5, 6 & 8)
Assignment:
2026
Due Date:
50 Marks
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for INF3720 — UNISA 2026
,UNISA | INF3720 HCI Assignment 2 – 2026
Chapter 5: Social Interaction
Question 1: Social Presence and Student Engagement (Case Study 1)
1.1 Definition of Social Presence
Social presence refers to the degree to which a person is perceived as “real” and immediate
within a mediated communication environment (Weidlich, Orhan Goksun and Kreijns, 2022).
In face-to-face settings, physical co-location provides natural cues such as eye contact, body
language, and vocal tone that contribute to this sense of realness. When these cues are absent,
communicators experience a reduced sense of connection with one another.
1.2 Discussion: How Absence of Social Presence Affected Student Engagement
In the context of remote learning at the South African university during the COVID-19 pan-
demic, students relied entirely on MS Teams and WhatsApp for all academic interaction. Be-
cause these platforms are text-heavy and lack the spontaneous physical cues of a lecture hall,
the sense of “being with” peers and lecturers was significantly diminished (Weidlich et al.,
2022).
Three specific consequences emerged from this absence:
Reduced participation: When students could not see or hear their peers naturally, they be-
came less motivated to contribute during live sessions. Research confirms that social presence
positively correlates with student satisfaction and engagement in online courses, meaning its
absence leads to withdrawal rather than participation (Sharp, Preece and Rogers, 2019).
Communication fragmentation: Students migrated between the formal Teams environ-
ment and informal WhatsApp groups, creating two parallel channels that never fully inte-
grated. This split reduced the sense of a shared classroom community and made it difficult for
any single student to feel anchored within a coherent learning group.
Turn-taking difficulties: Without the visual signals that regulate speaking order in face-to-
face discussion, students interrupted one another or fell silent. This broke the natural flow of
academic dialogue and made discussions feel disjointed rather than collaborative.
Page 2 of 17
, UNISA | INF3720 HCI Assignment 2 – 2026
Critical Consideration
Critical Consideration: Low social presence does not simply reduce comfort; it
has measurable effects on cognitive outcomes. When students feel isolated, they are
less likely to engage in the deep peer-to-peer knowledge construction that underpins
effective learning (Weidlich et al., 2022).
Page 3 of 17
College of Science, Engineering and Technology
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
INF3720: Human-Computer Interaction
Assignment 2 — Year Module 2026
⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄ ⋄⋄
INF3720
Module Code:
Human-Computer Interaction
Module Name:
Assignment 2 (Chapters 5, 6 & 8)
Assignment:
2026
Due Date:
50 Marks
Total Marks:
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for INF3720 — UNISA 2026
,UNISA | INF3720 HCI Assignment 2 – 2026
Chapter 5: Social Interaction
Question 1: Social Presence and Student Engagement (Case Study 1)
1.1 Definition of Social Presence
Social presence refers to the degree to which a person is perceived as “real” and immediate
within a mediated communication environment (Weidlich, Orhan Goksun and Kreijns, 2022).
In face-to-face settings, physical co-location provides natural cues such as eye contact, body
language, and vocal tone that contribute to this sense of realness. When these cues are absent,
communicators experience a reduced sense of connection with one another.
1.2 Discussion: How Absence of Social Presence Affected Student Engagement
In the context of remote learning at the South African university during the COVID-19 pan-
demic, students relied entirely on MS Teams and WhatsApp for all academic interaction. Be-
cause these platforms are text-heavy and lack the spontaneous physical cues of a lecture hall,
the sense of “being with” peers and lecturers was significantly diminished (Weidlich et al.,
2022).
Three specific consequences emerged from this absence:
Reduced participation: When students could not see or hear their peers naturally, they be-
came less motivated to contribute during live sessions. Research confirms that social presence
positively correlates with student satisfaction and engagement in online courses, meaning its
absence leads to withdrawal rather than participation (Sharp, Preece and Rogers, 2019).
Communication fragmentation: Students migrated between the formal Teams environ-
ment and informal WhatsApp groups, creating two parallel channels that never fully inte-
grated. This split reduced the sense of a shared classroom community and made it difficult for
any single student to feel anchored within a coherent learning group.
Turn-taking difficulties: Without the visual signals that regulate speaking order in face-to-
face discussion, students interrupted one another or fell silent. This broke the natural flow of
academic dialogue and made discussions feel disjointed rather than collaborative.
Page 2 of 17
, UNISA | INF3720 HCI Assignment 2 – 2026
Critical Consideration
Critical Consideration: Low social presence does not simply reduce comfort; it
has measurable effects on cognitive outcomes. When students feel isolated, they are
less likely to engage in the deep peer-to-peer knowledge construction that underpins
effective learning (Weidlich et al., 2022).
Page 3 of 17
