The Zoom Boom: Assessing Videoconferencing Attitudes among College Students

Abstract

This study examines the attitudes of college students enrolled with different specialties from two colleges, Applied Sciences and Arts and Educational Sciences at Palestine Technical University Kadoorie (PTUK), regarding their utilization of the Zoom platform. There is a strong need for this research to be carried out. Assessing students’ attitudes will help to improve students’ engagement and interaction while using Zoom. Additionally, this study will bridge the gap in this specific context. The investigation specifically focuses on certain demographic variables, namely gender, technical proficiency, Grade Point Average (GPA), and college affiliation. A quantitative research method was conducted with a total of 321 students from two different colleges were randomly selected. A questionnaire was designed to assess the attitudes based on the literature review. Findings indicate that college students exhibit favorable attitudes towards Zoom, perceiving it as user-friendly, flexible platform. Nonetheless, the study also reveals a stronger inclination towards traditional teaching because of concerns about assessment equity and privacy issues. The implications of these findings are valuable for educators. Results will help them to adapt their teaching methods to better align with students’ preferences.