The purpose of this study was to explore what instructor social presence factors and immediacy behaviors Southwestern community college students enrolled in asynchronous online courses described as lessening transactional distance. Qualitative methodology with descriptive design was chosen to help the researcher obtain a description of the participant's experiences. Data was collected from asynchronous online community college students and consisted of 13 one-on-one interviews and 25 open-ended questionnaire responses. Data was analyzed to answer two research questions: What factors related to instructor social presence do students describe as lessening transactional distance in 16-week, asynchronous online community college general education courses? What immediacy behaviors do students identify as most effective in lessening transactional distance in 16-week, asynchronous online community college general education courses? Thematic analysis produced six themes related to instructor social presence: the instructor's effort to display social presence, instructor effort to get to know students, instructor effort to support students, and students' willingness to connect with instructors. Planning behaviors and teaching behaviors were themes associated with instructor immediacy. The results of this study suggest teaching strategies and best practices related to instructor social presence and immediacy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]