How should webcams be used in online learning under COVID‐19: A co‐orientation analysis of teachers' and students' perceptions of student social presence on webcam

• Published in: Journal of computer assisted learning 2023-04, Vol.39 (2), p.399-416
• Main Authors: Yeung, Matthew W. L., Yau, Alice H. Y., Lee, Crystal Y. P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Assessments; CAI; Cohesion; College Faculty; College Students; Communication; Computer assisted instruction; COVID-19; co‐orientation; Distance learning; Educational Environment; Electronic Learning; Foreign Countries; Higher education; Higher education institutions; Online Courses; Online instruction; Orientation; Pandemics; Perceptions; Questionnaires; Social Behavior; social presence; Student Attitudes; Students; Synchronous Communication; synchronous teaching; teacher and student perceptions; Teacher Attitudes; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Technology Uses in Education; Video Technology; Videoconferencing; Webcams
• ISSN: 0266-4909; 1365-2729
• DOI: 10.1111/jcal.12751

Background The existing literature has predominantly focused on instructor social presence in videos in an asynchronous learning environment and little is known about student social presence on webcam in online learning in the context of COVID‐19. Objectives This paper therefore contrasts students' and teachers' perspectives on student social presence on webcam in synchronous online teaching through co‐orientation analysis. Methods Data were collected through an online questionnaire with 14 statements that measured participants' perceptions of webcam use in three constructs in social presence (i.e., emotional expression, open communication, and cohesion). 154 students and 36 teachers from two higher education institutions in Hong Kong responded to the questionnaire, and their responses were analysed using the co‐orientation model. Results and conclusion Results reveal the perceptual gaps between teachers and students on the use of webcam to promote student social presence by showing how teachers were comparatively more positive about its impacts for learning and consistently overestimated students' preference for it. Through analysing individual constructs/items, this paper argues that using webcams in synchronous online learning could enhance student social presence only to a limited extent in that it may help improve emotional expression and open communication but not cohesion. Implications The paper advises against the adoption of a clear‐cut policy that webcams should be either recommended or not recommended for online learning. Instead, teachers should take into account students' perspective to find out the types of activities that are apt for using webcams in online learning, and reflective tasks and oral assessments were amongst the ones considered appropriate by students in the study. Lay Description What is currently known about the subject matter Teacher presence through videoconferencing is important to the construction of social presence. Student presence on webcam is relatively understudied in online learning during COVID‐19. Teachers struggled to use webcams for online learning during the pandemic. Teachers and students have different concerns about using webcams for online learning that either party may not be aware of. What this paper adds The current study contrasted teachers' and students' perceptions of student presence on webcam in online learning under COVID‐19. This is the first study using co‐orientation model as the analytical metho