Why Web-Conferencing Matters: Rescuing Education in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

Abstract

Physical interaction between humans has steadily decreased over the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the adoption of e-conferencing has seen a huge increase in conducting business globally and technologically mediated interactions are now the order of the day—the new normal. The virtualization of meetings promotes collaboration among colleagues, target markets, associates, teachers, and students working towards the organization’s objectives. Using web conferencing in learning meets the primary goal of both educators and students. It facilitates the creation of the best learning environment for students and aids in the realization of a balance between life and teaching duties for educators. Through web conferencing, higher learning institutions have the ability to capitalize on the available technologies to expand access to instructors online while also creating new experiences in the teaching and learning environment. The elimination of the need to travel for students’ field trips has also been realized due to technological advances, and virtual tours have replaced these trips. A descriptive approach is adopted for the study, and it relies on information from peer-reviewed journals. Drawing from the literature review, the study first identifies web-conferencing in various facets of education. Secondly, it discusses web-conferencing adoption and its influence on teaching and learning. Third, a discussion on the importance and benefits as well as disadvantages of web-conferencing is outlined. Fourth, the study exemplifies two web-conferencing platforms: Zoom and Google Meet. The study further discusses the future of adopting web-conferencing in education.

‘Lockdown’ learning designs – Parent preferences towards remote and online learning for their children during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Several parents appreciated that the web-conferencing sessions momentarily ‘relieved’ them from having to supervise their child’s learning. This accords with broader perceptions from the field relating to the benefits of web-conferencing for education during COVID-19 (Adipat, 2021).…”

Factors predicting videoconferencing fatigue among higher education faculty

“…Besides, videoconference platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams permit training, teaching, and learning to be delivered economically and efficiently (Gladović et al, 2020 ). Videoconferencing has been a game-changer in education as it allows both teachers and students to meet their educational goals (Adipat, 2021 ). Such a platform has several admirable features such as multimedia content sharing, recording functionality, and real-time interaction (Al-Samarraie, 2019 ).…”

Evaluasi Usability Aplikasi Video Conference Sebagai Media Knowledge Sharing (Studi Kasus: Aplikasi Zoom Dan Google Meet)

“…Zoom adalah platform penyimpanan data berbasis internet yang memungkinkan konferensi video, berbagi konten, dan diskusi melalui perangkat teknologi seperti gadget, tablet, dan komputer atau PC [10], Vicon Zoom ini memiliki banyak fitur seperti sharescreen, record, breakroom, obrolan tim, white board, dan juga dilengkapi fitur background yang bisa diganti sesuai keinginan pengguna. Google Meet dirancang bagi pengguna untuk bergabung dalam rapat virtual dan berbagi video atau berbicara satu sama lain dari lokasi berbeda melalui internet [11], fitur yang diberikan mencakup perekaman, penjadwalan rapat, whiteboard, apply visual effects, dan banyak lagi. Kedua aplikasi Video Conference tersebut menjadi pilihan yang dimanfaatkan oleh mahasiswa guna menunjang berbagai kegiatan yang dilakukan secara virtual.…”