Students Miss F2F Interactions during Remote Learning!

The recent shift to remote learning has provided various challenges for students. Many learners are experiencing online and hybrid courses for the first time, which has impacted their educational experience in several ways. Student feedback from certain surveys indicates that their most difficult adjustment to remote learning is they miss face-to-face interactions with faculty and other students during class. This is to be expected with many forms of remote learning and poses challenges to communications and engagement with the course content.

Much of education is based on social interactions and students value having personal connections with their instructors and classmates. An important aspect of learning is sharing ideas and perspectives that help make new mental associations and expand our knowledge. Social presence is the perception that other people are physically present and this enhances communications through visual and verbal cues: eye-contact, facial expressions, and body language. Certain types of remote learning communications such as email and online discussions do not readily convey these important emotional signals. Therefore video conferencing is an important activity to include with remote instruction to provide visible contacts and exchanges that enhance learning.

Many students report that video conferencing through Zoom or MS Teams is a valuable learning activity that provides opportunities for real-time interactions. Students appreciate being able to visually and verbally participate in a dynamic dialogue with their instructor and classmates that makes them feel part of a learning community. Learners value interactive Zoom lectures that are structured with dedicated intervals for questions, and use breakout rooms where students can communicate with one another in smaller groups. By participating in these more intimate groups, student-to-student interactions can be established that allow learners to engage and build connections with one another. While videoconferencing sessions are not the same as live F2F interactions, they can afford a sense of presence and engaging personal communication.