The quality of teaching and learning via videoconferencing
keywords - Case studies teaching disadvantages
British Journal of Educational Technology, 33 (3):
301-311 (2002)Abstract
Now that videoconferencing is being widely used for the delivery of mass lectures between sites, there is concern that the quality of teaching and learning experienced, using this method of delivery, is not as good as that experienced in a traditional classroom situation. The study aimed to investigate this concern by using a research diary to collect information on classroom activities and cognitive outcomes which students at local and remote sites experienced over a ten–week period. The results indicated that remote site students did not experience the same quality of teaching and learning as local site students
Description
Video conferencing is widely used in higher education for the delivery of lectures between sites, but there is concern that the quality of teaching and learning may be poorer than that experienced in a traditional classroom. This 10 week study investigated the classroom activities and cognitive outcomes amongst a group of 66 Masters students, of whom 45 were local site students and 21 remote site students. It was found that the local students were receiving more information and explanations from the lecturers, reading and reviewing material more, working in groups and making presentations more than the remote students. Local students also reported a higher occurrence of learning in 10 of the 15 cognitive outcome categories. There is discussion of possible reasons behind these differences, including the significance of physical access to the lecturer, and feelings of isolation emanating from a lack of eye contact with the lecturer. The quality of teaching and learning is not the same in a course delivered by video conferencing, but the medium itself is not entirely responsible: inexperience, bad preparation and planning, and inefficient training on the part of the facilitator can also have an influence.