Date

8-20-2026

Department

School of Communication and the Arts

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)

Chair

Erin Black

Keywords

online adjuncts, organizational communication, sense of belonging, social presence, sociopsychological tradition

Disciplines

Communication

Abstract

This qualitative study addressed the challenges of geographically dispersed online adjunct faculty feelings of isolation and sense of belonging. The purpose of this qualitative was to explore how online adjunct faculty experience a sense of belonging within their institutions and how organizational leadership communication practices, interpreted through social presence theory, shape those experiences. Guided by Short, Williams, and Christie's (1976) social presence theory and Craig’s (1999) sociopsychological tradition, this research explored the lived experiences of online instructors and the specific communicative behaviors that influence their connection to their institutions. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty online adjunct faculty members and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that social presence is not byproduct of technology, but the result of intentional and relational communication. Furthermore, the data indicated that a sense of belonging is a dynamic, dependent on proactive leadership engagement. Ultimately, this study offers a fresh perspective on digital immediacy maintained through continuous, responsive communicative interactions rather than physical proximity. These findings offer practical implications for higher education leadership, by providing an actionable framework to transition a transactional remote workforce into a connected academic community.

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