Bonus Activity: Have students critically analyze the word cloud that is generated from the class responses on AnswerGarden and share their thoughts in the text chat.Use an emoji (e.g., thumbs up/down) to react to a prompt.Respond to a question in the text chat (see “Chatterfall” suggestion below).Here are a few quick ways students can show that they are attentive and learning even when they are not on camera: If you are concerned this will result in “teaching to black boxes,” vary activities (consider “mini lectures” punctuated by small-group work) and seek out alternative ways for students to demonstrate engagement in class. Not only will this help reduce feelings of exhaustion from being on camera (e.g., Zoom fatigue), but it will actually help students feel more comfortable being on camera. Based on these findings, we offer the following suggestions for your synchronous online courses:Ĭonsider a “Cameras Optional” policy for at least some parts of class. These findings demonstrate that student camera use for synchronous online learning is multifaceted and dynamic-shifting based on different variables, spaces, times, and individual needs. Some students turned their cameras on at the start and end of class to connect with the instructor, while others only turned their cameras on mid-way through class once breakout room activities began. Camera use differed from time to time.The majority of students (93%) reported having their cameras on in breakout rooms always or frequently, while less than half of the students (48%) reported turning their cameras on in the main Zoom room.
Camera use differed from space to space.For example, some students turned their cameras on for accountability and to improve focus, while others turned theirs off to reduce distractions and improve their focus. Camera use differed from student to student.The design of the Zoom interface-specifically the self-view mode and gallery mode-negatively impacted student camera use because it increased feelings of self-consciousness (“mirror anxiety” Fauville et al., 2021) and created a feeling of being watched by others (“Zoom Gaze” Caines, 2020).If students felt that being on camera was not aiding their learning (e.g., when listening to the instructor speak), they turned their cameras off. If students felt that being on camera was helpful to their learning (e.g., group work in breakout rooms), they turned their cameras on. The nature of learning shaped student camera use.Students reported turning their cameras on or off based on whether their peers’ cameras were on. Social norms were influential in shaping student camera use.Students were most likely to turn their cameras off to maintain privacy in their physical surroundings and because of physical (e.g., eating, moving, drinking) or mental health (e.g., fatigue, anxiety) needs.For some, having cameras on aided social interactions, including improving students’ ability to communicate and collaborate and allowing them to demonstrate to the instructor and peers that they were paying attention.Students were most likely to turn their cameras on if they felt they could turn their cameras off at any time without punitive measures.There were 31 unique reasons why students turned their cameras on or off, indicating that students-either consciously or subconsciously-consider a lot of different variables when determining whether to be on camera at any given moment during class.Here are 10 things we learned from the study: Participants in the study were a mix of undergraduates (57%), graduates (36%), and non-degree students (7%). In both of these courses, camera use was completely optional, although the instructor encouraged it in breakout rooms. In spring and fall 2021, we collected post-course survey data from students ( n = 70) in two education courses to learn about their experiences with being on or off camera during synchronous online learning in Zoom.
While camera policies for synchronous online learning continue to be a disputed topic, our goal for this article is not to tell you whether you should require students to be on camera or not, but rather to provide you with research-based insights that can help inform your camera policy and course design decisions. However, when the use of these tools increased due to emergency remote teaching (Hodges et al., 2020), debates ensued regarding whether to require students to be on camera during remote, hybrid, HyFlex, and online classes. Like it or not, video conferencing platforms have become an integral tool for synchronous online teaching and learning.
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