Student and teacher impact on the use of telepresence classrooms

Abstract

Hybrid learning environments saw significant growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic but persist beyond it, one example is the telepresence classroom. This classroom allows the connection of two classrooms in distance locations into a singular one. The technology in a telepresence classroom includes a camera, multiple projectors, microphones, and speakers to emulate a single learning space despite the distance, potentially overcoming some of the challenges presented by hybrid settings. However, the telepresence classroom presents technological and logistical complexities for the teachers. Thus, it is essential to understand the impact on the teacher agency, as well as on the workload of both students and teachers. Therefore, two collaborative learning sessions were conducted, utilising the collaborative learning flow pattern (jigsaw) in the telepresence classroom. From these experiments, the teacher and students workload was measured using the NASA-TXL questionnaire and supplemented with the Epistemic Network Analysis model to pinpoint key actions impacting the workload. The teacher agency was also assessed with another questionnaire. Finally, an interview was conducted with the teacher to gather more insights regarding the workload and agency. Results revealed a teacher workload score of 65.33 and 67.33, while student averages stood at 49.03 and 58.65 on a 0-100 scale. The data collected also served to identify potential factors influencing the workload, such as available time or the need for increased effort. Potential factors affecting teacher agency, such as decision-making challenges and tool limitations, were also identified.