Seminar.net

"There’s No Place like Campus"

2023-09-27T09:39:53+02:00

This study investigates the relationships between students’ psychosocial needs and their preferences for online vs. offline learning in a post-pandemic environment. A mixed-methods study was conducted at a higher education institution in Norway with 240 Bachelor students. Students in a post-covid learning environment value pedagogical forms of student-centered learning, through exploration and group reflection work. Second, students report a preference for limited amounts of online learning. Third, students express a significant need for social support, in the form of non-digital interaction with peers and teachers, and campus-based activities. Finally, while students prefer receiving feedback from peers in physical form, they are also positive toward receiving feedback in a digital form.

These findings indicate that higher education institutions should carefully evaluate the amount of digital teaching offered to students, as such choices influence how and to what degree students are able to socially interact with peers and teachers, and their sense of belonging. More research is needed to understand the challenges associated with psychosocial health and well-being among students, and how this relates to online/offline forms of learning.

Black Screens

2023-09-26T10:45:28+02:00

In this article, we ask the question: Why do students choose to turn their cameras off during online teaching? We discuss this issue from the perspective of adaptive structuration theory and media richness theory. We use qualitative data from 169 free text answers from two surveys conducted during the pandemic: in May/June 2020 and May/June 2021. In our analysis, we have developed three categories – “the social context”, “window mirror” and the “noisy classroom” – to better understand why students turn off their cameras. Based on these categories, we describe problems that turning off the camera is a response to. These problems are: too many cues, attributes of the home that might promote negative feelings, disclosure of home and personal activities, and online self-image. Our findings are in line with other research that contends that turning off the camera helps to reduce problems, such as an invasion of privacy that could be distracting and uncomfortable, and “digital fatigue”. We contribute to the research field by describing that some students turn off their camera for another reason: to maintain their self-image. However, although turning off cameras solves problems, the resulting “black screens” create new problems, in the form of less engagement for collaborative learning activities and an increased feeling of isolation among students.

«The students like me less in digital lectures»

2023-10-03T12:36:56+02:00

The COVID-19 pandemic actualized teaching in digital learning environments and brought a steep learning curve for teachers in higher education. Several studies focusing on students’ experiences of this period have gradually emerged, but there has been less on how teachers experience digital learning environments. Hence, the purpose of this empirical study was to gain knowledge about how teachers experienced online teaching of large groups during the pandemic. Two group interviews were conducted with experienced teachers. The main finding was that teaching in digital environments leads to a type of digital apathy. The teachers experienced black screens and a lack of response from students, having a negative effect on them. They become tired, demotivated, and drained of energy. They experienced losing their qualities as lecturers, becoming boring, and being less free in what they could say. Breakout groups were easy to manage, but many students would leave when these were introduced. Teaching in digital learning environments seemed to lead to a comfortable distance, which posed a risk for both students and teachers to become resigned. Therefore, this teaching format may be more demanding than teaching in physical environments. The interviews were conducted at a time when teaching in digital learning environments was novel, and the informants’ expectations may have been characterized by traditional teaching. Their experiences may be different in the long run.

From black screens to mediating means

2023-08-29T15:17:12+02:00

The paper reports on an empirical case study that explores innovative teaching practices in higher education, including digital, physical, and blended learning activities. The study followed the Master’s course ‘Experts in Teamwork’, where the students worked with practical assignments based on real-life challenges formulated by an external collaboration partner, which included actors from the health care department, the school management, and the ICT management in the local municipality. The students also gained experience with creative media production and worked with various digital tools and software.

The findings show that the students experienced the project as motivating, highly educational and relevant to working life. It seems that digital tools contributed to flexibility, particularly for interactivity with the external partners and for group work. Both for students and the teachers the use of screens and software like Zoom and Teams opened for new ways of thinking about collaboration and provided an extended learning space and increased learning potential. However, screens also imply limitations, for example in terms of communication noise, possible passive forms of participation or even withdrawal from some of the students. Moreover, practices that include digital, physical and hybrid learning activities are highly complex, which require that the activities are particularly well planned and thoughtfully organized. The learning situation is therefore characterized by increased demands and expectations - for both students, teachers, and the institutions.