A point contingency increased webcam usage in a university classroom

Abstract

The use of online instruction has increased substantially in the last few years. An important aspect of remote instruction that has received some attention via survey-based research is student webcam usage. There are few empirical strategies to increase students’ webcam usage. In the present study, we replicated a prior study by providing students with points contingent on webcam usage during remote college instruction. An alternating treatments design was used to assess the influence of the contingent point delivery on webcam usage. Twenty-four undergraduate students in a psychology course participated. The contingency enhanced webcam usage and the points served as effective reinforcers. A simple reinforcement contingency can improve webcam usage in a college classroom, but outcomes can likely be enhanced by including additional antecedent operations.