The Use of Videoconferencing in Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter will explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the higher education industry. Specifically, there will be a discussion of the exponential growth of videoconferencing tools for higher education purposes. The effects of the communication technology tool on the college classroom will be explored, including how faculty and students experience the synchronous, virtual classroom. Parts of the communication process and how they differ in face-to-face and videoconference class will be outlined. The concept of Zoom fatigue will be defined and examined, in relation to the communication process. Recommendations for effective use of videoconferencing in the college classroom will be provided.

Students’ Satisfaction with Quality of Synchronous Online Learning Under the COVID 19 Pandemic: Perceptions from Liberal Arts and Science Undergraduates

“…This result is supported by previous research on video conferencing in synchronous online learning, that has shown both positives and negatives of this mode of instruction. While videoconferencing has been used as an alternative to face-to-face communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, research has found that interpersonal communication behaviors that are shown through video conferencing are unnatural and unsettling for many users (Massner, 2021). In addition, video conferencing platforms have been described by students as exhausting or bringing intense feelings of tiredness.…”

Videoconferencing fatigue and online student engagement among Filipino senior high school students: A mixed methods study

“…Our qualitative findings corroborate with the study of Nesher Shoshan and Wehrt (2021) among employees who also experienced various losses from videoconferencing. Many of the manifestations narratively reported by the students, such as a general sense of lack of energy, eye strain, dissatisfaction with interactional patterns, anxiety and moodiness, and decreasing motivation for tasks, had been demonstrated in a case study among college students and teachers (Massner, 2021).…”

“…Samara and Monzon (2021) explained that the disruption of the human communication component of learning and the demands to multitask while using Zoom increased the mental and physical aches students feel because of prolonged videoconferencing. Moreover, a qualitative case study has noted that in the context of e-learning, individual, situational, communication, and environmental factors influence the extent university students develop videoconferencing fatigue (Massner, 2021).…”

Determinants of Zoom Fatigue Among Graduate Students of Teacher Education Program

“…Recently, there has been a growing recognition and usage of virtual distance education and remote learning [1]. The rapid transition to online learning in all levels of education, including the graduate program during the global coronavirus disease outbreak, resulted in a boom in videoconference applications use [2,3]. It has been observed that participants of videoconference tools like Zoom increased by 2900 percent during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease [4].…”

“…Given that this new phenomenon appeared only recently with the pandemic and early research on Zoom fatigue mainly was conducted abroad, there is growing research regarding the exhaustion that is linked with virtual meetings. There is a need to explore Zoom fatigue in the educational context, particularly among graduate students, as online remote learning is likely to play a substantial role in teaching and learning beyond the pandemic [2,19]. Evidence shows that students find it harder to focus and are often less responsive during online synchronous Zoom classes, which undesirably affects the nonverbal dynamics in online courses [20].…”